CLOUDS

The Clouds series began in 2013 as a deeper examination of my Hamon paintings, which I first created in 2003 after an apprenticeship with a master metalsmith in Japan. The Hamon paintings take their name from the cloud-like tempering patterns that appear along the edge of a Japanese sword during the forging process. These cloud-like forms embody a Zen paradox, uniting clouds as symbols of impermanence with the blade as an instrument that makes life impermanent. This poetic juxtaposition has been a core influence in my work.

These works are based on photographs of clouds observed at specific moments and places. The titles record the exact date, time, and location and mark fixed coordinates in space-time. In this way, the series becomes a form of cloud cartography, mapping the fleeting topography of the sky. Each cloud becomes a marker through which I locate myself, an entry in what might also be called an extinction diary, a record of disappearances.

Like much of my work, the titles in this series are bilingual. I intentionally use linguistic lacunae, or words without direct English equivalents, to highlight differences in cultural value systems and how language reveals what is present or absent in perception. The series includes sub-groups with titles such as Unkai (a sea of clouds), Chou-un (clouds resembling a flock of birds), and Unkan (exploring the spatial intervals, or ma, between clouds), among others that together create a cloud dictionary.