Sarah Oh’s Art Gallery #2

“Ink in My Veins”

I came with quiet hands
from across the sea,
carrying ink, brushes,
and the stories of my ancestors—
unspoken, yet steady as breath.

California greeted me
with wide skies and winding freeways,
where traffic flows like water,
and headlights follow
the rhythm of thought,
the pulse of becoming.

In the stillness of rice paper,
I found my voice.
Through the curves of a plum blossom,
the hush of a bamboo stalk,
I grew—
not away from tradition,
but deeper into it.

Asian brush painting shaped me.
Its restraint taught me freedom,
its silence taught me song.
I learned that one shade of ink
holds countless tones—
just as oneself
holds a thousand stories.

The genres—화조화, 산수화, 사군자—
they were not limits,
but doorways
to wild, untamed dreams
rendered in calm, unwavering strokes.

In the glow of Los Angeles,
among its chaos and calm,
I matured.
Each freeway lane a meditation,
each skyline a rice paper,
each moment a chance
to see more with less.

Through simple colors,
I discovered infinite possibilities—
a quiet joy,
a deep respect,
and the endless love
that flows
from brush to heart
to world.