Lately, I’ve been feeling the itch to start something new — something intimate in scale, but bold in presence. I’ve been playing with a collection of shapes and silhouettes that focus on negative space and fluid form, sketching out potential configurations and ideas in my sketchbook. It’s early yet — the planning stage where things are still raw and open-ended — but the seeds are starting to take root.
This new series is shaping up to be a short-form body of work, likely in the 20 x 20 cm range, and I’m leaning into a Chinoiserie-inspired style — combining watercolor, Gansai Tambi, and acrylic, with some experimental layering using alcohol-based techniques. I want to explore both balance and interruption — the way color meets absence, the way a form breathes when left partially unfinished, and how shape alone can carry narrative weight.
Some of the early sketches feature dynamic clusters of shape combinations, often not fully enclosed, leaving the eye to fill in the gaps. Others play with motion through minimal contrast, using color fields that pulse with softness or sudden direction.
This is also a gentle reminder to myself: not every piece has to be loud.
Sometimes, the most powerful thing in a composition is what’s not there.
I’m still working through the planning phase, but this series already feels like a meditation on space, rhythm, and intention.
As I refine these ideas, I’ll share more — maybe even time-lapse snippets or process photos along the way.
If you're curious about the sketches or want to see how this develops, stay tuned.
And if you’ve ever created a series focused on shape or negative space, I’d love to hear how you approached it.
Thanks for being here — and for watching the work grow, one quiet line at a time.
— Hansheng
