Collection
i rose clean of even the finest dust

Max Gimblett i rose clean of even the finest dust

“Enso is the Self, living two fingers sideways below the navel in the stomach and known as the Dantian. Also the Sun and the Moon, our eyes, our spinning globe, continuous time with no beginning and no end. I could go on and on.” —Max Gimblett This is one of a set of ensos that is more contemplative and quieter than their fellow ensos in this exhibition. Drawn at a slower pace with a smaller brush, they, like all ensos, were painted in one stroke, on the outward breath of the artist. (Max Gimblett: Ocean Wheel, 1 August – 15 November 2020)

Collection
enso out fishing - floating frog leaps

Max Gimblett enso out fishing - floating frog leaps

“All mind – no mind. You empty your mind, and you don’t have any activity, and you operate out of your body in that space in relation to your soul where you’re poetic and soulful. You just let it come.” —Max Gimblett The enso is the Zen circle of enlightenment. As a practicing ordained Rinzai Zen priest, Max has made the enso a central motif in his work, along with the quatrefoil. Enso is a simple yet complex form. There’s the in as the brush meets paper, and the out as it lifts away and the enso is finished. There is no beginning and no end; one full line that is continuous and infinite. The enso is empty and full at the same time, and symbolises unity, enlightenment, elegance and eternity. (Max Gimblett: Ocean Wheel, 1 August – 15 November 2020)

Collection
enso flower – dawn for Hakuin

Max Gimblett enso flower – dawn for Hakuin

“All mind – no mind. You empty your mind, and you don’t have any activity, and you operate out of your body in that space in relation to your soul where you’re poetic and soulful. You just let it come.” —Max Gimblett The enso is the Zen circle of enlightenment. As a practicing ordained Rinzai Zen priest, Max has made the enso a central motif in his work, along with the quatrefoil. Enso is a simple yet complex form. There’s the in as the brush meets paper, and the out as it lifts away and the enso is finished. There is no beginning and no end; one full line that is continuous and infinite. The enso is empty and full at the same time, and symbolises unity, enlightenment, elegance and eternity. (Max Gimblett: Ocean Wheel, 1 August – 15 November 2020)

Collection
daruma sitting

Max Gimblett daruma sitting

“Enso is perhaps the leading motif in Japanese calligraphy. It certainly has become mine. It took maybe fifteen years’ drawing before my ensos became round – previously they were ovals or sort of one-sided squeezed circles as I misjudged my centre and ran towards the left or right side of the paper. Also, I had not resolved my in and out; practice makes perfect. […] I was introduced to Zen calligraphy in San Francisco. I studied with the Japanese masters of all ages; they came to my studio and instructed me when I invoked their name.” —Max Gimblett (Max Gimblett: Ocean Wheel, 1 August – 15 November 2020)

Collection
my zendo - between cloud & mud

Max Gimblett my zendo - between cloud & mud

“Enso is the Self, living two fingers sideways below the navel in the stomach and known as the Dantian. Also the Sun and the Moon, our eyes, our spinning globe, continuous time with no beginning and no end. I could go on and on.” —Max Gimblett This is one of a set of ensos that is more contemplative and quieter than their fellow ensos in this exhibition. Drawn at a slower pace with a smaller brush, they, like all ensos, were painted in one stroke, on the outward breath of the artist. (Max Gimblett: Ocean Wheel, 1 August – 15 November 2020)

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