CLOUDS

The Clouds series began in 2013 as a continuation of my earlier Hamon paintings, first created in 2003 after an apprenticeship with a master metalsmith in Japan. The Hamon paintings take their name from the tempering patterns that appear along the edge of a Japanese sword during forging. These patterns can resemble clouds and embody a Zen paradox: clouds signify impermanence, while the blade renders life impermanent. This juxtaposition has remained a central influence in my work.

The works in Clouds are grounded in photographs of cloud formations observed at exact moments and locations. Each title records the precise date, time, and geospatial coordinates, marking a fixed vector in spacetime. The series charts the fleeting topography of the sky, with each cloud serving as both an ephemeral form and a marker through which I locate myself, an entry in what might also be understood as an extinction diary.

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.