October 08, 2007

Wabi Sabi

I learned about wabi sabi (pr. WAH-bee-SAH-bee) from one of my photography teachers, Tom Lamb. He suggested we buy the book, "Wabi-Sabi: for Artists, Designers, Poets & Philosophers" by Leonard Koren. I got an inexpensive copy on Amazon.com and I love it! Here's what the author writes about wabi sabi.

"Wabi-sabi is the quintessential Japanese aesthetic. It is a beauty of things imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete," wrote Leonard Koren in his book . It is a beauty of things modest and humble, and of "things unconventional." Peripherally associated with Zen Buddhism, wabi-sabi values characteristics that are rustic, earthy, and unpretentious, involving natural materials which are used neither representationally nor symbolically.

The following piece of mine is called "The Turquoise Door." I love the texture, colors, and transformation these steps are taking in their cycle of existence. It was taken in Laguna Beach.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

The softness of the image really works well with the pastel colours and rough grains of the cement. A very dreamy, surreal sort of look. The angle is nice too. Distinctly more interesting then focusing on the entire door or staircase.

MYM said...

Wow, I LOVE it! That is truly gorgeous. It looks alive, I want to touch it.

martalahistèrica said...

I've just read this book (which I think is awesome), and I just wanted to say that, from my point of view, this photgraph reflects exactly Wabi-sabi.

Barbara said...

Thank you, Marteta! I appreciate you taking the time to give me feedback on my piece. It's always nice to view your work through the eyes of others.