Sunyata
Acrylic painting on panel, 5x7”
John had been working on a large scale photography project over 2022-23 and he hadn’t painting in a while. It’s always a challenge getting back into the painting groove, so he decided to start small with a series of 5x7” paintings. Johns says, “I love the depth in the painting, it draws me into the deep mysterious center and reminds me of the Buddhist term for void or rather, voidness - Sunyata, which is thought to primarily mark a distinction between the way things appear to be and the way things actually are. I think of the mystery of it all, and it makes me curious, and joyful to feel that there is so much that I may never grasp or understand - I suppose it can feel heavy for some, but for me it feels light, like a weight is lifted.”