The small works you see here are my version of Zen paintings.
Rather than brush and ink, red conte chalk flows across the paper in simple, magical lines. Each work happens quickly, yet each recalls to me the words of Zen master Hakuin who, when asked, "How long does it take to do a single painting?" he responded, "Ten minutes, perhaps, and eighty years."
To me, the lines of these works equal that of brushwork. I live with them as happily as I do my finest paintings. The swift blending of the red chalk with my fingers feels every time as if a magic wand is being waved over the surface of the drawing, causing the subject to suddenly be infused with life.
At those moments, I'm no longer the artist but a spectator, filled with joy, happy to be present to witness again the making of art.
-- Don Haggerty
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