Japanese Suihi pigments) on Washi paper
8 x 10 in ( Frame size 15 x 19 in)
 
Meditation teacher Ruth King said, “Life is not personal, permanent, or perfect.” In recent years, when I experienced difficult situations and emotions, King’s words served as an anchor for me and a means to stay grounded. Fish never stop swimming. Bubbles on the surface of water never stop forming. Whatever we are experiencing will never stay the same—things change. 
 
Eight hundred years ago, a Japanese author and poet Kamono Chomei wrote,
 
The flow of the river never ceases,
And the water never stays the same.
Bubbles float on the surface of pools,
Bursting, re-forming, never lingering.
They’re like the people in this world and their dwellings.
 
The river in this painting is from my childhood memories of Yasu river in Shiga prefecture, Japan. The river runs right next to Wakamiya Shrine – a special place for my family.