The Beauty of Billy's Dots
I myself am an amateur Chinese calligrapher and I love sharing different representations and philosophies of art with my patients, especially if they are involved in other art forms.
Billy Tice has a deep understanding of Asian philosophy and it is always a treat when we exchange viewpoints on art or life in general. When he saw an empty space previously occupied by a now broken clock, he generously volunteered to create an artwork to fill that void. And the outcome is astoundingly beautiful.
Caption: Painting coming into being at Billy’s studio
He named the piece "Deep Water Rising" and it is based on the transformational process between two hexagrams – "Bi" and "Cui", from an ancient Chinese book, I Ching (the book of change).
"Bi" represents forming connections and developing friendly relations with others. It is not just a superficial alliance but a melding of parts into a new whole.
"Cui" means gathering and flourishing, guided by righteous principles. I particularly like a description that Billy shared with me - "Like water running to the sea, like an astronomical convergence of planets revolving around the Sun, you should let the gravity of this center draw you near. Others are also drawn to this center, and among them you will find shared bonds and kindred spirits. This tribal convergence will give you a clarity of purpose. You will no longer be alone." Such a marvelous paragraph!
Caption: Billy and I and the beautiful piece connecting the two of us
Billy actually has a whole series of paintings that he called "BillyDots" (which can be found on facebook) and below is an excerpt of how he describes them.
This series is based on a binary figure/ground relationship of a dot floating inside a color field, or as a round window frame looking out/in onto/into a color field….I paint with itsy-bitsy pigment particles floating colloidally inside of an aqueous borne acrylic resin structure….I have observed my paintings to have healing qualities….For me, art is all about the magic of moment in which spirit, mind, paint, brush, and picture plane meet, the sheer physicality of that meeting, and of the ethereal and the physical becoming one.
Caption: Billy's "Deep Water Rising" with my calligraphy "Excerpt from the Sutra of Innumerable Meanings".
So next time you visit our clinic, stop for a moment and take a deep look at Billy’s painting and let the healing energy flow into your being.