A splashed ink red scene unfolds across this flower and bird scroll painting, composed with a scholar's restraint. Washed color and line work together here, neither one crowding the other out. Among pieces of feng shui home decor, this is the quiet kind: balanced, calm, and easy to live with.
The red motif is worked into the composition with classical restraint. The river is a band of pale wash, calm and unbroken. Layered mountains rise through the composition, their forms softened by distance. Splashed-ink passages break the control with sudden, welcome energy. Characters in flowing script share the silk with the painting, as tradition demands. Pines stand in clusters, their needle masses dabbed in with a dry brush.
It keeps good company with the finest oriental wall hanging, the kind that rewards daily looking. It is the kind of piece guests ask about, and owners never tire of answering. It makes a gracious gift for weddings and new homes.
