Beautiful Was The World

I chose this as the title in part because of the quote that’s featured in the painting, taken from the book Siddharta by Herman Hesse but also because of the space I was in mentally when painting this piece. I often find myself painting or writing a portal to escape from the sometimes monotonous, every day cycle of a winter in London. Grey, rigid and mundane with an overwhelming and constant rush of people. Contrasting to this piece which transports me to the sun-kissed memories of a moment uninhabited by the constraints of time or work.

The part of the novel in which this quote is written reflects on the idea that when we are too fixated on a specific goal or desire, we can sometimes miss the richness and beauty of the world around us. I think that sometimes submerged in such a concrete and harsh surrounding I struggle to open my mind to the beauty that this city or the moments experienced, within it offers.

However I did manage to escape to Japan for a brief moment whilst in the midst of working on this painting. Inspiring some of the details such as the toads, the lillies and the crane. Having always had such admiration for the delicacy and intricacy of traditional Japanese ink illustrations I wanted to illustrate my time with a few small details.