These colors reach into you. Pierce the sternum, fill the solar plexus, root in the gut. Jewel-toned maroon, shadowed forest green, cool wet slate, warm turned earth, heart-of-iris purple, deepest navy sky: these rich and saturated colors anchor and ground the bottom halves of a series of square-format paintings. Rising from these fertile beds of redolent color blooms a collection of pale contrasting tones: petal yellow, sage green, fog, and topaz, palest aquamarine.
These pieces, as the title suggests, focus particularly on the primary, essential practice of Buddhism: zazen, or sitting meditation. These pieces move the viewer from macrocosm to microcosm, from outward to inward, from distance to closeness. In keeping with the essential paradoxes at the heart of Buddhist practice, Watt’s work balances the qualities of precision and structure with a flowing and intuitive expression.
Take time to breathe with each piece in Zazen. Allow them to guide you.