Saeng Seong: The Profound Act of Becoming

Saeng seong (16"x16")

This canvas, 'Saeng seong', holds so much of me. When I look at it, I don't see a finished piece as much as I recall the very act of its becoming. 'Saeng seong' – it’s a word that resonates deeply within my soul, meaning creation, generation, birth. For me, it's not just a title; it's the philosophy that guides my brush, the very breath of my artistic journey. It’s the constant unfolding, the magnificent messiness of bringing something utterly new into existence, whether that's a fleeting emotion or a fully formed idea.

I remember when I first laid down those dominant pinks. They weren't just colors; they were the raw, vibrant pulse of life I felt surging within me. A flush of excitement, a blush of vulnerability, the soft warmth of memory. I let them bloom across the canvas, overlapping and merging, much like how feelings cascade and intertwine in our own lives.

Then came the bold, encompassing black. I wasn't trying to suppress the lightness; rather, I was exploring depth, the fertile void from which everything emerges. As I worked with that rich, dark pigment, I felt a grounding, a sense of gravity, and within its expanse, I allowed whispered, almost illegible thoughts to surface – a kind of subconscious scrawl, the silent murmurs of introspection. It's in that deep space that true genesis often begins, don't you think?

The turquoise lines, those vivid, spontaneous arcs and squiggles, were like sudden bursts of clarity or intuition. I felt them dance across the surface, cutting through the softness of the pinks and embracing the mystery of the black. They represent the unexpected paths we trace, the fresh currents of inspiration that guide us when we least expect it. Each stroke was a decision, a moment of letting go and trusting the flow.

And the splatters, the little black dots scattered across the surface? They are the beautiful imperfections, the accidents that aren't mistakes but rather crucial elements in the tapestry of creation. Life, like art, is full of unpredictable moments, tiny explosions of circumstance that add texture and rhythm to our existence. I embraced them, letting them fall where they may, knowing they were part of 'Saeng seong' – the unpredictable unfolding.

There's a subtle, almost stitching-like detail near the bottom, connecting different fields of color. I remember drawing those dashed lines, feeling a sense of mending, of bringing disparate parts together. It’s about connection, the quiet effort of holding fragments of experience, emotion, and thought into a cohesive whole, constantly forming and reforming.

This artwork, 'Saeng seong', truly encapsulates my belief that art isn't about perfection; it's about process, about the exhilarating, sometimes agonizing, but always profound act of becoming. It's a testament to the ongoing birth of expression, forever evolving, forever new. It's what I feel, what I breathe, every time I stand before a blank canvas.