A guest post, by Curator Jen Dragon. A concept that originated in Japan during the 1980s, Forest Bathing, or mindfully walking in the woods, is prescribed as an antidote to an increasingly technological and alienating world. Kaethe Kauffman meditates on the unseen systems of forest growth as well as on memories of the calm, steady […]
Introduction: La Foresta Read More »
Venice, Italy lacks a forest. Throughout my life, I’ve always lived with abundant trees nearby. When I was invited to exhibit in Venice during the time of the large art fair, the Venice Biennale, it seemed necessary to give Venice a forest, albeit in an art gallery. Floor-to-ceiling ink drawings of foliage hang, some against
In my studio, while working on my ink drawings series, Land and Water Meditations, I spontaneously drew a large tree that I titled Planted. With hundreds of ink lines, I created the vitality and energy of thousands of leaves in this enormous tree that extended to the top and side borders of the picture. The
The other day, I spontaneously drew a meditating figure sitting in a stream. Looking at it later, I wondered why I’d placed a contemplating person in the water. Suddenly, it made sense to me because Buddha-consciousness constantly adjusted to the ever-changing flow of life. No matter what circumstances might drift along and engulf a person,
Buddha in a Stream at Sunset Read More »
I grew up in Seattle with omnipresent rain and abundant trees. In early spring, pink blossoms covered fruit trees. The east side of my family’s one-acre plot featured a cherry orchard, with a few plum, pear and apple trees growing wild in the back. Blossoms heralded the advent of caterpillar season. We used no pesticides,
I love to draw and paint the hallowed energies that surround me during meditation. After a meditating, I go to my studio to draw. I create geometric shapes in the area around the figure: these appear to me as if they represent an unconventional altar. As I continue to draw these sacred spaces, I often
Dream Time in the Gallery was a single event: a night-time sharing of group sleep energy surrounded by spiritual art. Around a dozen art lovers from Italy and America assembled at my exhibition, Yoga: Interior and Eternal at Castello 925 gallery in Venice, Italy (affiliated with the Venice Biennale 2022). The exhibition featured floor-to-ceiling art,
Dream Time in the Gallery Read More »
In July, 2022, I’d mounted my exhibition, Yoga: Interior and Eternal, in an art gallery affiliated with the Venice Biennale in Italy. I went there to install thirty floor-to-ceiling mixed media pieces. They all explored close examination of the joints in the female form, after having been twisted in yoga postures. The exhibit stayed up,
In Venice, Italy, I gazed upward into St. Mark Basilica’s West Dome, unaware that I would soon receive a revelation. These delightful Byzantine style mosaics – exploding with the raw power of flattened designs without naturalistic perspective – portrayed the Holy Spirit at the top of the dome, symbolized by a dove sitting on a
I keep my sketchbook next to the phone. When I enjoy a long conversation with a loved one, I mindlessly doodle. My muscles seem to contain a nervous volition, all their own. At the end of the call, I glance at the abstract drawing and label it with the person’s name: “Karen’s Call,” “Jon’s Call.”
Landscape and Waterscape Meditations Read More »
