“Taking the backward step” is a phrase by the Japanese Zen master Eihei Dogen. He was a 13th-century Buddhist monk, philosopher, poet, and founder of the school of Soto Zen Buddhism.
The line is from his sutra called: Fuganzazengii (which means Universal
Recommendations for Zazen) and refers to the practice of turning inward to observe the nature of the mind. It encourages us to let go of our usual ways of perceiving and instead, directly experience the present moment without judgment or attachment.
This is how I try to paint: sometimes I can get out of my way and
sometimes I fail. When I can, I improvise, stay curious and playful, and try not to prematurely judge the work. When I fail, the painting feels forced and unresolved. It’s a fine balance and a continual challenge but most of the time - very satisfying.
I often think of a quote from the gallery owner Hudson, who ran a wonderful space called Feature in the 80s: “I tend not to be so into formal and prefer when the formal is infiltrated by the personal. That is when abstraction sings to me. How the artist leaks the personal into the formal is the magic of what artists are. My simplest explanation of that process is the word “intentionality.”
Intentionality in the moment is where I try to be.
