Five: Wuxing Elements in Art and Words

fiv 五

WUXING

ELEMENTS IN ART AND WORDS

ALICE GUR-ARIE

FOREWORD BY JOHN E. VOLLME R

FOREWORD Chinese efforts to understand the universe as a united whole are concerned with ontology, the study of being. Chinese thinkers sought insight into the nature of things—their causes and consequences—to understand the reality of becoming, existing, changing, evolving, and decaying.

At its core, this cosmology contains numeric concepts, including the familiar yin-yang duality, and the less common sancai (three powers), sishi (four seasons) and wuxing (five elements/phases). They are part of a greater data structure affecting and explaining all phenomena in the universe through unifying sets of laws.

Wuxing was initially associated with the five visible planets— Jupiter, Mars, Saturn, Venus, and Mercury. Their independent movement through the night sky – mostly forward, but occasionally backtracking in retrograde before resuming momentum, were long scrutinized by Chinese court astrologers for correlations with earthly events. They called these eccentric heavenly bodies wuxing , (literally, five travellers). The conjunctions, or alignments, of these planets suggested connection and interaction. Wuxing evolved into a separate philosophy during the second century BCE. The five components

of wuxing were symbolized by the elements wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. These, in turn, were assigned one of the five universal colours: blue, red, yellow, white, and black. The interactions of individual wuxing phases with the others were classified as generating, transforming, and destroying.

Thus, wuxing is, as indeed are all of the numeric concepts embodied in Chinese cosmology, dynamic, never static, and always evolving. For the Chinese, “five” provides a way to think about life in stages from infancy to old age. One’s place on earth is expressed in five directions: north, south, east, west, and centre. There are five

senses, five tastes, five bodily fluids, and five yang and five yin organs. “Five” provides a framework to appreciate Alice’s art. It complements her previous efforts focused on the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac ( Shengxiao ), which is another of the numeric concepts, one that interacts directly with wuxing , and an individual’s life experiences. Alice’s artistic practice engages us in its own dynamic of change.

Although her art is decisively object based, for Alice the image ceases being a record of something to be observed. Rather, the

image evolves into a vehicle or vessel to transform our perception by connecting us to ideas, feelings, and sensations beyond the literal subject of her imagery. John E. Vollmer

Look to the poems to understand me.

I have paced once through each cycle and returned to paint the elements: daring mountains that breach the clouds; music cast of metal; rainforest greens and wildflower blues; lyrical rivers and sweet honey sunsets.

Courage is the tool that will tell you

who I am, where I have been, what I have discovered, and possibly, the secrets I have left behind.

Me , Me in the Mirror series. Photographed in Israel and hand painted (digitally).

ARTIST’S VISION Five:

Wuxing

Elements in

Art and Words is the companion book to Twelve: Shengxiao Zodiac Creatures in Art and Words . Understanding the meaning and significance of “five” and “twelve” is not a prerequisite to reading either book, but it does provide context to the project as a whole, and the individual endeavours specifically. So I do commend to you the Foreward essays at the beginning of each book, written by Asian art scholar John Vollmer, as they are outstanding for their accessibility, clarity, and conciseness. Twelve presents a distinct approach to the zodiac creatures we

we have come to know as “year of” animals, and features 32 fine art images along with a short story relating to each animal. My first collection of thematically linked stories, it is a book instigated by spontaneous curiosity, and created by the love of symmetry and the need for completion. If you are not familiar with Twelve , you can find it here: https:// issuu.com/agurarie/docs/twelve. In the stories, I strived to create voices that find their truth in a mix of myth, fable, anecdote, imagination, and occasionally, historical fact. Characters for whom it is easy to suspend disbelief, living through situations that if distant, are distinct and familiar; possibly archetypal,

but above all, in some way touching. And there are facets of me in all of them. In the artwork, I wanted to present a fresh way of seeing the zodiac animals. I knew that in part it would be achieved as a result of the process I employed painting (digitally) my photographs. But more than that, I wanted to elicit a viewer response to the creature that was immediate, and personal. Five is intrinsically connected with Twelve in terms of understanding the Chinese universe, but is different thematically, structurally, artistically, and for me, emotionally. While Twelve was created as a defined

project of images and stories focussing on the twelve Chinese zodiac creatures, Five is a selection of my work based on a broader arena of landscapes, seascapes, and cityscapes, in some cases recreated as abstracts. Importantly, while Twelve was specifically created to fit into the Chinese zodiac schema, the works in Five have been selected as interpretations of my experience of the wuxing : wood, fire, earth, metal and water.

My art sits in the “sweet spot” where fine art and photography converge. I invite the viewer to replace the window through which they see the

world, with a lens that transforms visual certainty into something that is at once familiar and foreign.

are painted by hand digitally with

The images in Five are based on photographs taken in France, Germany, Iceland, India, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Portugal, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

The locales may be of interest, but they are not the point. Each image is the result of a creative process that begins with what my eyes see and what I have selectively photographed. Then, driven by the desire to explore that reality, I refashion my experience through the painting process. Treating my photograph as a canvas, pictures are interpreted as they

a “brush”, sometimes in layers to create washes, enlarging the image and painting pixel by pixel where detail demands. Sometimes photographs are painted more than once often quite radically revealing the complexity and nuance of experience; telling a different story, communicating a disparate mood, revealing new shapes perhaps, and evoking a response that engages the head and the heart.

The seven poems were written specifically for Five ; a pleasure I allowed myself to introduce each of the wuxing , investigate each element, complete the pattern and close the idea. They stand alone,

but they also can be read together as a whole. I invite you to let me know which gave you a richer connection to the artwork. Five is not about character or storyline, but about voices; my voice as I interpret the vastness of a valley, or the variations of an evening shadow. My voice as I seek to understand my own experience of the world around me. The voices that echo back at me from the wuxing : moments of discovery as I endeavour to express wood, fire, earth, metal and water in a way that has not been revealed before.

There is a breeze - gauzy, scented with wild lilies from across the field, and the creamy light of the moon. And a cycle begins… .

WOOD 木

Once around is not enough to know enough,

To name the day’s delights, or to relish in night’s haze.

Five times the wheels must turn to take you to fulfilment, journey wed to Fortune’s map and the completion of Forever.

Wood is linked to Spring, the period of growth, abundant vitality, increased sensitivity, movement and wind. . .

Les Arbres de Porquerolles

You can only get to the Porquerolles, an island of about 12.5 sq km off the coast of France, by boat. On the southern side, the coast is made of steep cliffs and secluded creeks only accessible to hikers. On the northern side, fine sand beaches and turquoise waters offer explorers stunning views of Nature. This series follows the path I took on a summer afternoon, through an extraordinary landscape of arching trees whose branches stretched their lacy network of leaves across a Mediterranean blue sky.

Tende Flowers

The Alpes-Maritimes in the south of France are rugged, with astounding views over the Mediterranean Sea. Hiking there is demanding, but Nature rewards you with golden Autumn forests, and summers scented with wild flowers and a sea breeze.

It was this inspiring landscape where I photographed dried leaves and flowers, and painted them by hand digitally into this series. I particularly wanted to explore the textures, shapes and patterns I saw all around me, as well as seasonal colours.

Westfield

Westfield celebrates what was intended to be a quick jaunt into a mall for a cup of coffee and instead, spontaneously turned into a day photographing displays of live foliage placed throughout the concourses. The original photographs themselves are several years old, dating from a visit to California. I have tried over the intervening years to interpret them into contemporary art images, without success. Until now. Each image is named for the place in the mall near where I took the photograph; “Taxi Stand” (left) near the exit where the taxis picked up and delivered excited shoppers, and “Tobacco Corner” (next page) in front of the cigar store.

Spring in Bloom

The story of Spring is based on a statue called Spring, which stands in the centre of a large concrete fountain in my friend’s expansive German garden. Beneath the statue is a concrete bowl filled - when I was there - with winter’s cloudy, algae-laced water, and an abundance of tangled, floating lily pads. I walked around the fountain, taken with the shapes and patterns of the leaves and stems. Boasting magical hues that glow through jewel colours and light up the leaves from within, “Spring in Bloom” is one of two series I painted from the photographs. “Early Spring” on page 31 exemplifies the second series; equally intriguing arrangements and configurations catch your eye, but expressed in a colour palette of muted tones.

FIRE 火

What is a Taking As if to In the end and someone

cycle but one sound or scene or scent following another,

Taking and giving, but always moving to the next beyond. to say, just one more let me dare, endure, resist demise. end is the end; the course runs only to the day’s goodnight someone else’s path to dream, to count to twelve and start again.

Fire is connected to Summer, a time of expansion and flowering and intense heat. . .

Red

“The Red Collection” includes works from various series as well as single images. They have been selected and grouped together only because they share the palette and symbolic associations of the colour red.

From the dramatic, landscape-inspired “Red” (Iceland) to the glowing red sky in “After the Battle” (Portugal), these images portray some of red’s positive and negative emotions - passion, prohibition, seduction, danger - and draw the viewer’s eye to focal points and into the image.

Fire in the Sky

It is a challenge to interpret the mystery and magnificence of the sun in the sky in a way that compels a viewer to think they have never before seen the world in quite that way. But as an inspired witness to this recurring daily event, that is exactly what I have strived to achieve in each of these images.

Of course, my explorations have confirmed it is not the sun itself that captures our attention, holds our gaze and causes us to pause, but the effect of the sun on the air around it, the context it creates for the creatures that pass beneath it, and the light and shadows it causes on the land and water below.

Voices of the Mill

Sometimes, long after the first series of works has been finished, I return to the original photographs, drawn by the sense that there is another, alternative way to interpret what the lens captured. Such is the case with “Voices of the Mill”, the second series from “The Stream at Glun Collection” (pp104-107); this one, abstract art images.

I believe that in art, the proverbial idea that fire and water are incompatible, does not hold true. In this series, I have painted them as conspirators, working together to fashion moments of sunlight touching the stream as fiery sparks, floating petals, reflections, or simply the work of magic...?

EAR H 土

Earth, a round of seasons playing with my eyes, Water, Earth’s renewal, a mirror of disguise.

Metal meant to forge each wish that Wood and Fire spark, A plan of great collusion, like a whisper in the dark.

Earth is coupled with late Summer, a period of expanding stability and clarity, of levelling and dampness . . .

The King’s Lodging

I had always wanted to paint a series of layered hills, and found my inspiration on a photoshoot in Portugal. Late on a December afternoon I drove up a long, narrow, winding road for almost an hour. When I arrived at the top, I was as breathless as if I had run the whole way. A spectacular vista unfolded around me. I imagined a narrative of kingdoms and magic, grand lives and complicated desires. The result is “The King’s Lodging”, a tale told through more than a dozen landscape images. Several have been featured in gallery collections; ”After the Battle” (pp36-37) was shortlisted for the ArtGemini Prize. “Rebirth” (left) was inspired by the pandemic, and painted in Pantone’s colour of the year 2021 (which was, that year, actually two colours: “Illuminating” and “Ultimate Grey”). While yellow communicates optimism, grey embodies the loneliness and grief experienced around the globe.

Desert Arrangements

Of course, the arrangements of sand, sky, forest and rock in these landscapes are not my doing, they were made by Nature and gifted to the Earth. I merely saw them - enveloped, from afar, or in the air - and painted them into the patterns I perceived. They create for me a visual memory of my experience; the shadows, textures and tones of natural geological events.

I believe the desert has stories to tell, some of them ancient, mysterious, confounding; presented in places waiting to be discovered, or purposefully found. Such is the case with “Us”, (right) two human forms, male and female, painted on a cave wall in single finger strokes. I was touched by the simple testimony of the Nabatean couple’s 6th century, entwined hands.

Reach for the Sky

Landscapes are a dominant theme in my work. I am inspired by their ability to capture and sustain my attention; every angle, every day, every season modifying their account, no two alike. I cannot know these mountains, I can only interpret what they lead me to believe.

These mountain landscapes feature works from a number of countries, including Iceland, Italy and Portugal.

“Mountain” (right) from the “Drama in the Fog” series was exhibited at the Embassy of Iceland in London, auctioned at Christie’s, and received several award nominations.

金 MET L Can

What is hard and what is soft can be imagined like a voice,

Can be fashioned into silhouette shapes, or coloured by pretend.

Its purpose can be melted like desires can be doused between the rays of light and touch,

Or hardened like a cold star in a black universe.

Metal is related to Autumn, the period of increasing dryness, stillness and hardening; and a period for collecting. . .

The Belfry Dragon

Construction began in 1313, the dragon was put on top of the tower in 1377, and my visit to the Belfry was 642 years later. But there was the dragon, a patchwork of metal complete with ears, feathered wings, almond shaped eyes, conical teeth and ungraceful legsfashioned together and held in place with rivets. There are three series of abstract art works in this collection: those based on the colour of brass; those that emulate the blue grey colour of so many metals, and those that feel more modern, smoother and more fluid, as on page 85. All of them explore surface, and all of them include an interpretation of rivets, without which there would be no dragon.

Metalworks

It is not entirely correct to conclude that most of my work is done in series. There are many single works, such as “Deux Rennes Rouge” (right), which stand on their own and do not ask for or require further investigation or explanation or context.

But there are others which are the result of a response to something that caught my attention, sparked my imagination, and drove me to find my own meaning behind that connection. Such is the case with each of the three stand-alone images on pp88-89, all originating in Israel, but created at different times.

WATER 水

This although

from the water: the blue is my skin facing up to the sky, Lit up by reflection and a faraway dusk.

Dance with me against dark, impermanent shores that mould to my body like a ballerina in chiffon.

I will not betray you, this time, some time, although I am only a lapping wave to the season of bending trees.

Water is allied to Winter, a period of retreat, stillness, and retrenchment ...

Seascapes

It is possible that these seascapes, more than any other works in Five, express my deepest feelings about the human condition. They are about solitude, and moments that capture how one is tethered to the world in a singular way. In each image the elements that symbolise this connection - the small, solitary sailboat and the fishing boats in silhouette - are diminutive relative to the endless, enormous and encompassing sea and sky. I relate to these images in a very personal way, as if I were in the image, pausing to understand the context of where I am in the universe, holding on to the silence of simply being.

The Stream at Glun

It was a sunny day when I arrived at the old, French village of Glun. The mill wheel was not turning, but the narrow stream was full of leaves and branches that had floated downstream. I stood on the small bridge, watching them pass beneath me. I examined the shapes, patterns and textures of the leaves, and gazed intently into the stream, where grasses and mosses swayed with the current.

City of Sighs (Venice)

Venice conjures up images of history, culture, art, fashion, food, exploration, palazzos, carnivals, architecture, and of course, romantic gondola rides through narrow canals. All this is true, but what I wanted to explore in my Impressionist style images was the city in shadows and textures more unfamiliar and less glamourous. Would the romance still come through?

Canon (London)

This photographic series, taken from my rowboat in the Thames River, captures a short, early morning passage from my buoy to shore. The thick fog and dim light created a stage-like setting of shadows and mist. My heightened senses heard every lap of chilly water on the hull, the morning bird calls to mates and young, felt every breath of sea breeze coming up the river.

Reflections (Oostende)

Oostende is the largest city on the Belgian coast, but I was so captivated by water features that I did not photograph anything else.

I painted the photographs into two series of abstract images. One of them is a large selection of “dot” works, created by painting the original photographs several times, in different ways, using diverse colour palettes. Some dots remain black, some are transformed into other-worldly moons of saturated hues, thus creating a unique mood for each image.

“The Dot Wall” (left) was curated for this chapter, but of course, collectors are free to create their own dot walls in whatever combination of dot images appeals to them.

Now I know the cycle reaches darkness Through the winters to forgiving, from The shadows want to catch me, and But I sing the song of temper, I

darkness from the dawn, from the moment Time is drawn. and the counting is at one, am always just begun.

WUXING CORRELATIONS

fiv CORRELATIONS

五

木 WOOD 火 FIRE

Azure dragon east spring windy Jupiter patience anger sour 甲, 乙 寅, 亥 new yang generative sprouting sensitivity sight birth

Vermilion bird south summer hot Mars joy shock bitter 丙, 丁 卯, 戌, 午 full yang expansive blooming creativity speech youth

土 EARTH 金 METAL

Yellow dragon centre late summer damp Saturn empathy anxiety sweet 戊, 己 子, 丑 yin-yang balance stabilizing ripening clarity taste adolescence

White tiger west autumn dry Venus courage sadness pungent 庚, 辛 辰, 酉 new yin contracting withering intuition smell adulthood

水 WATER

Black tortoise north winter cold Mercury calmness fear salty 壬, 癸 巳, 申, 未 full yin conserving dormant spontaneity hearing old age

十 二 welve

ATTRIBUTES OF SHENGXIAO

SHENGXIAO CREATURES

鼠 RAT 牛 OX 虎 TIGER

Order Lucky Unlucky Element Force Strengths

One gold, green, blue, 2,3 yellow, brown, 5,9 water yang

Weaknesses

adaptable, smart, cautious, cheerful, acute, alert, positive, flexible, outgoing timid, unstable, stubborn, inattentive, querulous

Birth Year

1936 1948 1960 1972 1984 1996 2008 2020

Two red, blue, purple, 1,9 white, green, 3,4 earth yin honest, persistent, patient, cautious, level-headed, strong-willed obstinate, inarticulate, prudish, distant

1937 1949 1961 1973 1985 1997 2009 2021

Three gray, blue, white, orange, 1,3,4 gold, silver, brown, black, 6,7,8 wood yang

tolerant, loyal, valiant courageous, virtuous, trustworthy, intelligent obstinate, arrogant, shorttempered, hasty, traitorous

1938 1950 1962 1974 1986 1998 2010 2022

兔 RABBIT 龍 DRAGON 蛇 SNAKE

Four red, blue, pink, purple, 3,4,9 brown, dark yellow, white, 1,7,8 wood yin gentle, sensitive, compassionate, amiable, modest, merciful amorous, hesitant, stubborn, timid, conservative

1939 1951 1963 1975 1987 1999 2011 2023

Five gold, silver, gray, 1,6,7 red, green, purple, black, 9,8,3

earth yang decisive, inspiring, magnanimous, sensitive, ambitious, romantic eccentric, tactless, fiery, intolerant, unrealistic

1940 1952 1964 1976 1988 2000 2012 2024

Six red, light yellow, black, 2,8,9 white, gold, brown, 1,6,7 fire yin

soft-spoken, humourous, sympathetic, determined, passionate, smart jealous, suspicious, sly, fickle, nonchalant

1941 1953 1965 1977 1989 2001 2013 2025

Order Lucky Unlucky Element Force

Seven

馬 HORSE 羊 SHEEP 猴 MONKEY

Eight

brown, yellow, purple, 2,3,7 blue, white, gold, 1,5,6 fire yang

Strengths

Weaknesses

warm-hearted, upright, easygoing, independent, patient spendthrift, vain, spontaneous

Birth Year

1942 1954 1966 1978 1990 2002 2014 2026

red, green, purple, 3,4,9 gold, brown, black, 6,7,8 earth yin gentle, soft-hearted, thrifty considerate, persistent, attractive, hardworking indecisive, timid, vain, moody pessimistic

1943 1955 1967 1979 1991 2003 2015 2027

Nine green, red, purple, 1,7,8 black, gray, dark brown, 12,5,9 metal yang enthusiastic, self-assured, sociable, innovative jealous, suspicious, cunning, selfish, arrogant

1944 1956 1968 1980 1992 2004 2016 2028

12,5,9 1992

PIG 狗 DOG 鸡 ROOSTER

Ten gold, brown, yellow, 5,7,8 white, green, 1,3,9 metal yin independent, capable, warm-hearted, self-respecting, quick thinking impatient, critical, eccentric, narrow-minded, selfish

1945 1957 1969 1981 1993 2005 2017 2029

Eleven green, red, purple, 3,4,9 blue, white, gold, 1,6,7 earth yang valiant, loyal, responsible, clever, courageous, lively, sensitive, conservative stubborn, emotional

1946 1958 1970 1982 1994 2006 2018 2030

Twelve yellow, gray, brown, gold, 2,5,8 red, blue, green, 3,1,9 water yin

honest, frank, chivalrous, gallant, tolerant, optimistic, faithful naive, hot-tempered, impulsive

1947 1959 1971 1983 1995 2007 2019 2031

Five is dedicated to my father, Donald Gurarie, who taught me how to see. Self portrait pencil on paper, 1933

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS As

much of the artwork in Five: Wuxing Elements in Art and Words existed before the project began, you could say the book “started from the outside in”. This meant a different approach to creating the book was required, and that, in turn, resulted in a number of complete restarts all of them instigated by my colleague John Vollmer. The challenge was how to design a book that shared the look and feel of its companion Twelve: Shengxiao Creatures in Art and Words , was true to expressing the wuxing, and yet had its own personality. I had very specific ideas about which images I wanted to include, but it was John’s curatorial guidance and design sense, along

with his excellent Foreword, that made this book accessible, satisfying - different - and I hope memorable. Working with John on Twelve and Five , the largest and by far the most challenging of our collaborations, has solidified John’s place in my world not only as an outstanding curator, academic and Asian art specialist, but as a colleague of limitless energy, enthusiasm, encouragement and ideas. Thank you, my friend, for your talents and tenacity in pushing this unique project through to completion. My soul, for now, is fulfilled.

ARTWORK NOTES

WOOD

FIRE

p 9 Wind from the West Reunion series (Israel)

p 13 Entering Periyar (India)

p 15 Waypoint

Les Arbres de Porquerolles series (France)

p 16 Bird on the Wing

Les Arbres de Porquerolles series (France)

p 17 Upper Path

Les Arbres de Porquerolles series (France) p 18-19 Noon at Beach Point

Les Arbres de Porquerolles series (France) p 21 Forest Shoots

Tende Flowers series (France)

Featured, Artist Talk Magazine

p 22 Lapis Arrangement

Tende Flowers series (France)

p 23 A Tangle of Shadows

Tende Flowers series (France)

Featured, Artist Talk Magazine

p 24 Taxi Stand Westfield series (USA) p 26-27 Tobacco Corner Westfield series (USA) p 29 (L) Spring Laughter Spring in Bloom series (Germany) Exhibited, Coningsby Gallery, London (R) Darkness and Heat Spring in Bloom series (Germany) Exhibited, Coningsby Gallery, London p 30 (L) Emerald Spring Spring in Bloom series (Germany) Exhibited, Coningsby Gallery, London (R) Overture Spring in Bloom series (Germany) Exhibited, Coningsby Gallery, London p 31 Early Spring Early Spring series (Germany)

p 35 Red

Love on the Rocks series (Iceland) Nominated, Terry O’Neill Photography Award Auctioned, Christie’s London

Exhibited, Embassy of Iceland, London Featured, Singulart Red Collection

p 36 After the Battle King’s Lodging series (Portugal) Shortlisted, ArtGemini Prize p 38-39 After the Battle (detail) p 40 (L) Borderline (Wales)

(M) Caesar’s Light (Israel) Exhibited, Coningsby Gallery, London

(R) Melpomene Becoming Harlequin series (Italy)

p 41 The Wishing Trees

The Fire Walkers series (Israel)

EARTH

p 43 Conyer Conyer Creek series (UK)

p 44 Trio Flying North Hula series (Israel)

Featured, Singulart Feathered Creatures Collection p 45 Sunrise at Gamla Reunion series (Israel) p 46-47 Tapestry

Still, Quiet, Blue series (Iceland) Long listed, Aesthetica Art Prize Exhibited, Embassy of Iceland, London Exhibited, Coningsby Gallery, London

p 48 Deep Pool

Voices of the Mill series (France)

p 50 (L) Light in the Shallows

Voices of the Mill series (France)

(R) An Evening Whisper Voices of the Mill series (France)

p 51 Middle Blue

Voices of the Mill series (France )

p 55 Shore

Still, Quiet, Blue series (Iceland) p 56 Rebirth

The King’s Lodging series (Portugal) Featured, Singulart Pantone Colour of the Year Collection Featured, Artist Talk Magazine p 58 Costa del Sol

The King’s Lodging series (Portugal) Exhibited, Coningsby Gallery, London Exhibited, Emerge Contemporary Gallery, London p 59 View from the Ramparts

The King’s Lodging series (Portugal) p 60 Eastern Hunt

The King’s Lodging series (Portugal) p 61 I Wander in This Time of Blue

The King’s Lodging series (Portugal) Featured, Artist Talk Magazine p 63 Us (Jordan) p 64-65 Desert Sky Reunion series (Israel)

p 66 Striations

Over Nevada series (USA) p 67 Over Nevada Over Nevada series (USA) p 69 Mountain Drama in the Fog series (Iceland) Top Ten Artworks, CultureLabel Exhibited, Embassy of Iceland, London

Auctioned, Christie’s London Nominated, Terry O’Neill Photography Award

p 70 Soon It Will Rain

Under Cloudy Skies series (Iceland) Exhibited, Embassy of Iceland, London p 71 Grazing

Under Cloudy Skies series (Iceland) Exhibited, Embassy of Iceland, London

p 72-73 Lake Maggiore at Dawn (Italy) Exhibited, Curious Duke Gallery, London

METAL WATER

p 77 Spiralling Out of Control Workshop series (UK) p 78-79 Spiralling Out of Control (detail)

p 80 Birth of a Dragon

The Belfry Dragon series (Belgium)

p 82 (L ) Shin

The Belfry Dragon series (Belgium)

Featured, Artist Talk Magazine (R) Pressed for Time

The Belfry Dragon series (UK) p 83 Portal

The Belfry Dragon series (Belgium) p 84 Pompous Parade

The Belfry Dragon series (Belgium) p 85 Dragon’s Claw

The Belfry Dragon series (Belgium)

p 87 Deux Rennes Rouges

The Christmas Collection (France)

p 88 (L) In the Garden of the Ba’ha u llah Reunion series (Israel) Featured, Artist Talk Magazine Featured, Singulart Blue Collection (R ) Isaiah Prophets and Angels Collection (Israel) p 89 Tree of Life (Israel) p 90-91 Rider and Steed Prophets and Angels Collection (Italy) p 92-93 Northbound Bridge Over No. 2 Road series (Israel)

p 97 Fallen Leaves Boissy series (France)

p 98-99 Fallen Leaves (detail)

p 100 Night View, Apollonia Reunion series (Israel)

p 102-103 Still Water (Portugal) p 105 After the Weir

The Stream at Glun series (France) p 106 (L) Congregation

The Stream at Glun series (France) (M) Last Wishes The Stream at Glun series (France) p 107 Leaves on a Halfway Stream The Stream at Glun series (France) p 109 Leaving Venice on a Grey Day (Italy)

p 110 Evening Promenade

Venice Cityscapes series (Italy)

p 111 (L) Il Ponte de Notte Venice Cityscapes series (Italy)

(R) Quiet Morning, Venice Venice Cityscapes series (Italy)

p 112 Chorus Canon series (UK) Featured, LensCulture Art Photography Prize Gallery p 114 Crescendo Canon s eries (UK) p 115 Coda Canon series (UK) p 116-117 The Dot Wall Reflections s eries (Belgium) p 118 Looking Glass Reflections s eries (Belgium)

p 119 Nightlife in Blue Reflections s eries (Belgium)

p 120-121 Nightlife in Blue (detail)

Alice Gur-Arie © 2023 All rights reserved under the International Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without the prior written permission of the copyright owner, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review, where credit must be attributed.

All artworks and poems are created entirely by the artist.

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Email alice@alicegur-arie.com Skype agurarie Website alicegur-arie.com Instagram alicegur_arie

Fine art prints of individual Wuxing themes can be purchased directly from Alice Gur-Arie. Orders and enquiries alice@alicegur-arie.com.

For licensing enquiries contact: artists@bridgemanimages.com. To see more of Alice Gur-Arie’s art portfolio go to https://www.singulart.com/en/artist/alice-gur-arie-24559

LINK TO COMPANION BOOK

Twelve: Shengxiao Zodiac Animals in Art and Words https://issuu.com/agurarie/docs/twelve