Artistic creation is much more than something we need in our lives, it is an activity essential to the very essence of life itself. As I think and paint I self-consciously wander between reality and imagination, pacing back and forth in search of answers in a place of complete spiritual freedom.

Very few artists create because of “respiration” but it is certainly one way in which to express the relationship between “art,” “life” and “living.” The following are a few observations on the artist’s creative process based on a conversation with Liu Yung-jen. They offers a number of intriguing insights as to why his latest work is entitled “A Journey of Deep Respiration” .