Wabi Sabi

Recently on one of the sunny pre-spring days we have been enjoying I went for a "wabi sabi walk".  Just to explain myself in very simple terms, wabi sabi is a Japanese aesthetic which celebrates the old, the worn, the ethereal and the impermanent. It is the acceptance and enjoyment of the imperfect and the transient, and the celebration of aging and the ensuing marks of age and patina. It is finding beauty in humble everyday things or things which may even be broken or damaged. Wabi sabi reflects beauty which may not be what is the commonly accepted ideal. I have realised that this aesthetic is one which I have loved ever since I was very young but I never knew it had a name until a few years ago.

Serena Barton is an artist who incorporates wabi sabi into her work as inspiration she suggests going outside for a wabi sabi walk. The idea is to look for wabi sabi elements which you may not normally take much notice of.  I was astounded to see how much inspiration there was within a few hundred metres of my home. Texture and worn out beauty everywhere. It inspired me to paint a large abstract expressionist painting for my home. I found it liberating and so enjoyable to create texture and to allow the painting process determine the outcome. These are some of the images I collected around my streets followed by the painting I did.

 The following 2 images are part of the larger painting I mentioned which is still a work in progress. Strictly speaking the colour palette for wabi sabi should be  more earth tones but it was the aged look and texture I was focused on.