Layers of Being

Layers of Being

What lies beneath the surface is often what defines us.

Layers of Being is a body of work that explores the inner qualities of human experience through the language of layered painting. Combining oil on canvas with silk painted in ink, mineral pigments and oil, each work develops through a dialogue between materials, allowing meaning to emerge gradually rather than being imposed from the outset. The physical relationship between concealment and revelation becomes inseparable from the ideas each painting explores, inviting viewers to look beyond first impressions and discover what unfolds beneath the surface.

Overview

Every painting in Layers of Being begins with an exploration rather than a conclusion. Instead of illustrating predetermined ideas, the works evolve through the interaction of contrasting materials and visual languages. Oil and silk, opacity and transparency, weight and delicacy each retain their own identities while contributing to a unified whole.

Although the paintings share a common process, they ask different questions. Splendour reflects on abundance emerging through coexistence. Becoming Lotus considers integrity and remaining true to one's own nature. Shining Quietly explores whether our worth depends upon recognition. Together they reveal that the layered construction of each painting is more than a technical method. It becomes a way of thinking, allowing ideas to be discovered through the act of making.

Explore the Collection
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  • Inspired by the Chinese phrase 花团锦簇, Splendour explores prosperity and celebration through a dialogue between oil painting and silk, where layered materials create a sense of abundance that extends beyond a single surface.

    Splendour

    Splendour
  • Becoming Lotus, a mixed media lotus painting combining oil on canvas with ink, mineral pigments and silk, inspired by the classical Chinese saying 出淤泥而不染 and exploring integrity through layered materials.

    Becoming Lotus

    Becoming Lotus
  • An impressionist-style painting of a bouquet of white and blue flowers, likely peonies, with a muted green-gray background and a small red insect detail in the upper right.

    Shining Quietly

    Shining Quietly

We often imagine that understanding comes from looking more closely. These paintings suggest something different. Sometimes understanding comes from recognising that every surface contains another layer, and that meaning is revealed not all at once, but gradually. As materials uncover one another, they invite us to consider whether the same might be true of ourselves.