Drawing Upon Nature

As an art student I quickly became frustrated. There seemed to be no way I could capture the infinite details that comprised the glistening vitality I perceived in trees, lakes, forests, rivers, animals and humans. Several frustrating years later, I concluded that I could not adequately capture the natural world’s breathtaking beauty. So, I gave up. However, I became capable of drawing and painting an abstract essence of nature’s vigor which I accepted as the best I could do. Even this much became very satisfying.

I drew thousands of tiny random lines all over a piece of paper. From this mess, I visualized forms, such as a tree or lake or fish. Because of the little lines, the forms and the background seemed to pulsate. I depicted a vibrating field, that symbolized a core of life’s spirit.

I rarely saw other artists capture this overwhelming intensity; I was surprised to find such a hidden treasure in the collection of Islamic art in Doris Duke’s house in Honolulu, now a museum. When I stepped through the front door into a large, low atrium, I was suffused with thousands of colored spots, small geometric shapes, a profusion that, to me, sparkled with vivacity. My first thought was, She’s done it! She’s made a three-dimensional replica of the inner life force. 

The entire space – floor, walls, ceiling – was covered with lustered ceramic tiles that glowed with iridescent colors and small abstract calligraphic lines drawn on them. The upper level of the room opened to the air and featured glass mosaic that, like stained glass, poured hundreds of dots of colored light upon us, adding visual intensity. I stared, dazzled by the shimmering display.

I felt a connection to Doris Duke and her staggering collection, as if we shared a common vision, a desire to depict an essence of effervescent energy.