Dragons hold a special place in my heart, as such the dragon takes the center stage in this artwork. With it I explore a duality of motion and the arising thematic tension between the knight and the dragon. The relationship the two share within this scene is left intentionally ambiguous, in order to invite the viewer to question whether the knight is friend or foe to the dragon. In the West, dragons frequently represent fierce, winged, fire-breathing foes for a knightly hero to conquer, while in the East, they are serpentine and more typically revered forces of nature as symbols of power and lordship. The soft blend in style and appearance is meant to highlight the contrast and intrigue of the potential story that could exist between the western knight and the eastern dragon.

The title Remembrance is intended to reflect on their history, culture, and memory. While the pond might normally take the role of a mirror to the past, instead the reflection is obscured and shadowed by the restless thrashing of the dragon as it swirls across the page. The dragon’s body, claws and scales are captured in wild brush strokes that call back to the Ensō, a symbol representing enlightenment, the universe, and nothingness. Yet its typically continuous stroke is only made to appear so, while in reality the presence of the knight disrupts the path the brush took. Like a boulder in a stream, forcing the water to flow around it. It is this visual, that inspired the creation of this piece.