Lotus in the Morning Mist, 24” x 30” Gong-bi, or “fine line” painting, mounted on silk borders.
The lotus is a universal symbol of purity, rising pristine from the mud of the pond. A dragonfly indicates the summer season. The lotus is portrayed in its full life-cycle, from tiny bud to full blown pink maturity, fading to white and followed by a dry seed pod. Fine line paintings are first outlined in ink or color. The colors are added from light to dark, sometimes using two brushes – one to apply the paint, the other using water to pull the color into a gradual blending.