Michael O'Rourke Digital Print

This limited-edition print is printed on Hahnemuhle archival paper with Epson archival inks. Print size is 43" x 14.5". In addition to this limited edition, a single copy of the image is fabricated of 8" tiles, with dimensions of 72" x 24".

The original version of this image was commissioned by the Bureau of Culture, Pingtung County, Taiwan. The commission consisted of developing an image related to Kenting Park, a beautiful park along the seashore of southern Taiwan. The image I developed was displayed on the website of the Kenting Arts Festival, 11/01.

In developing the composition, I used photographs of the park itself, combining them with a number of other elements, including photographs I had shot elsewhere in Taiwan on several trips, as well as photographs I had shot at various locations in New York City. I also included several drawings I did specifically for this piece. I was interested in reacting to two aspects of Kenting Park that struck me - their continuation of the tradition of the Chinese garden; and, closely related to that, the history of Chinese landscape painting.

The composition was done in such a way that it becomes itself a sort of long, horizontal landscape. Within it, I reference the tradition of the Chinese garden - the trees, the rocks, the water, the great care that is taken in the maintenance of the garden, the people who enjoy the garden. I also included in my composition a reference to the history of Chinese landscape painting by including a portion of a painting by the Chinese painter, Li Ti.