Lightness of Being, Paper Print

I created this piece after a drive along the Great Ocean Road last spring. Standing at one of the lookouts, I watched emerald meadows meet the teal-blue Southern Ocean beneath an endless sky. That view was pure magic – a weight lifted. I'd been stuck in my head for weeks. But seeing that perfect transition where land meets water meets sky, something clicked. I felt lighter. Back in the studio, I worked differently. I laid the canvas flat and poured diluted teals and blues, letting them find their own way – just like that natural horizon line had done. The greens came later with careful brushwork to echo those coastal meadows. Two Japanese concepts guided me: "shizen" (naturalness) and "Ma" (meaningful empty space). I didn't force anything. The white spaces give your eye somewhere to rest, just like those quiet moments in nature. What matters to me about this piece is that it captures both the landscape and that feeling of release. The colours drift upward, lifting like the way my shoulders dropped when I stood at that lookout. When you look at this piece, I hope you feel something similar – a moment of pause, a deeper breath. "