COMING SOON: Original hand-drawn ink pen by Alan Watts: “Thorncrest Cottage”
This hand-drawn image by Alan Watts from 1950 depicts Thorncrest Cottage, a farmhouse in Millbrook, New York that became Watts’ home during the artistic and contemplative year that followed his departure from the Anglican Church. It was there that he wrote his much-loved book on The Wisdom of Insecurity including the notable line: “The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.“
Alan Watts is primarily known for his philosophical writings and lectures on Eastern spirituality, however this drawing reveals another dimension of his creativity—his skill in visual art. This is the first of ten pieces that will be featured here, and in each his skill with an ink pen is on display. During the 1950s, Watts was actively engaged in both artistic and intellectual pursuits, and up until the publication go The Way of Zen in 1957, he split his time between teaching, writing, and early involvement in Zen Boom. There art and philosophy blended seamlessly as he taught alongside Japanese artists Saburo Hasegawa and and Hodo Tobase as well as artist Gordon Onsloford, an important link between the Parisian Surrealist and modern abstract movements.
Watts often explored how creative expression, whether through words, brushstrokes, or even architectural settings, reflected deeper Zen insights, as seen in his later calligraphic works and poetic writings.This drawing is an early example his philosophy of capturing the essence of nature and life without over-analyzing or intellectualizing it. “Thorncrest Cottage” engages the eye in the playful postures of two very distinctive trees that framed the elegant farmhouse, and one feels him recognizing them of the guardians of the place.
This hand-drawn image by Alan Watts from 1950 depicts Thorncrest Cottage, a farmhouse in Millbrook, New York that became Watts’ home during the artistic and contemplative year that followed his departure from the Anglican Church. It was there that he wrote his much-loved book on The Wisdom of Insecurity including the notable line: “The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.“
Alan Watts is primarily known for his philosophical writings and lectures on Eastern spirituality, however this drawing reveals another dimension of his creativity—his skill in visual art. This is the first of ten pieces that will be featured here, and in each his skill with an ink pen is on display. During the 1950s, Watts was actively engaged in both artistic and intellectual pursuits, and up until the publication go The Way of Zen in 1957, he split his time between teaching, writing, and early involvement in Zen Boom. There art and philosophy blended seamlessly as he taught alongside Japanese artists Saburo Hasegawa and and Hodo Tobase as well as artist Gordon Onsloford, an important link between the Parisian Surrealist and modern abstract movements.
Watts often explored how creative expression, whether through words, brushstrokes, or even architectural settings, reflected deeper Zen insights, as seen in his later calligraphic works and poetic writings.This drawing is an early example his philosophy of capturing the essence of nature and life without over-analyzing or intellectualizing it. “Thorncrest Cottage” engages the eye in the playful postures of two very distinctive trees that framed the elegant farmhouse, and one feels him recognizing them of the guardians of the place.
This hand-drawn image by Alan Watts from 1950 depicts Thorncrest Cottage, a farmhouse in Millbrook, New York that became Watts’ home during the artistic and contemplative year that followed his departure from the Anglican Church. It was there that he wrote his much-loved book on The Wisdom of Insecurity including the notable line: “The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.“
Alan Watts is primarily known for his philosophical writings and lectures on Eastern spirituality, however this drawing reveals another dimension of his creativity—his skill in visual art. This is the first of ten pieces that will be featured here, and in each his skill with an ink pen is on display. During the 1950s, Watts was actively engaged in both artistic and intellectual pursuits, and up until the publication go The Way of Zen in 1957, he split his time between teaching, writing, and early involvement in Zen Boom. There art and philosophy blended seamlessly as he taught alongside Japanese artists Saburo Hasegawa and and Hodo Tobase as well as artist Gordon Onsloford, an important link between the Parisian Surrealist and modern abstract movements.
Watts often explored how creative expression, whether through words, brushstrokes, or even architectural settings, reflected deeper Zen insights, as seen in his later calligraphic works and poetic writings.This drawing is an early example his philosophy of capturing the essence of nature and life without over-analyzing or intellectualizing it. “Thorncrest Cottage” engages the eye in the playful postures of two very distinctive trees that framed the elegant farmhouse, and one feels him recognizing them of the guardians of the place.
