Songs of uncertainty

My chosen tradition of Zen loves uncertainty: For meditation practice, the three virtues are great faith, great perseverance, and great doubt. Here's a modern expression of this great doubt: When asked What is Zen?, the teacher Suzuki Shunryu replied, "I can sum it up in two words: Not always so."  ( Taken from Awakened Life )

Some nice pieces of wood have been washed into the bay recently. Old doors and bits of boat. All with remnants of paint bashed and weathered by the sea. I have to live with these pieces for a while, until an idea comes. I don't like to paint over the existing colour too much, utilizing it where I can. The blue on these first couple has a muddy look to it, which looks like a stormy sky. The bare wood resembles the salt pans here on Gozo. The seagull is a little bit of artistic licence as I have only seen four since I have been here ! 

I have incorporated some calligraphy, my songs of uncertainty.

The wild flowers and dried seed heads are everywhere and I wanted to mention them in my painting rather than a detailed depiction. Hence the stylised shapes.

Look what the storm brought in !

There are numerous palm trees in Xlendi which shed their bark all over the road. I'm going to try and paint on them....

Making a start on the terraced hills.... More uncertainty.