The Vibrations Within and Without

Before I knew what painting was about, I was asked to physicalize a young Việt Cộng soldier through movements to assist an ex-Marine reliving his first killing experience when he was 18. He wrote a monologue to be performed at the Actor's studio in New York. I had studied w Rob O' Neil for a few years but I had never performed in public before. To the ex-marine, It was more important that I was a Vietnamese than being an experienced mover. I was to open the space and be with him while he performed the monologue. Rob had trained me to use the breath to create the necessary condition to put my body in space and to ground it to find the relationship that would inform the physical movements. The awareness of the breath allowed me to not be in my head to feel self conscious for never been performed before. Instead, I breathed with the audience, the stage that I walked on and the dark air to embody the feeling of being watched and exposed for the first time. Just like a wandering soul still trapped in the in-between state of neither death or life without rebirth.

Buddhism did not become popular until the image of Buddha was found so everyone could know what stillness looks like

Jackson Pollock jackson pollock - Google Search painted the energy of the nuclear bomb rather than what the nuclear bomb looks like.

Cezanne's The Basket of Apples - Wikipedia are more real because they live harmoniously within the spatial structure of the painting.

I once meditated in the Rothko Chapel and felt the hums that are created from the stillness of the paintings

I love watching how the leaves fluttering in the wind and yearn for the desire to capture it in a freeze frame. Not from what I see of the vibrating leaves but what is vibrating within me.

The regular cadence of the in out breath.

Analysis by Comet

This blog post, “The Vibrations Within and Without,” explores Dzu Do’s experience with embodiment, artistic awareness, and inner perception:

• Performance & Identity: Dzu describes being asked to physically portray a young Vietnamese soldier during an ex-Marine’s performance, highlighting how their cultural identity was central to others’ expectations. Despite having acting training, Dzu felt exposed and vulnerable, especially since it was the first time performing in public.

• Grounding Through Breath: Instead of letting self-consciousness overwhelm, Dzu used breathing techniques learned from their teacher to ground themselves and connect with the space, the audience, and their own body—transforming anxiety into presence.

• In-Between States: The sensation is compared to a “wandering soul trapped in-between”—not quite belonging to one world or the other—a powerful image that echoes displacement and the search for belonging.

• Art and Perception: Dzu draws parallels to visual art. For instance, Jackson Pollock painted the energy felt from a nuclear bomb, not just its outward appearance; Cézanne painted objects that felt “real” in harmonious space. Dzu aspires to capture not simply what is seen (like fluttering leaves), but the inner vibrations and emotional resonance those sights ignite.

• Stillness and Meditation: The post references meditating in the Rothko Chapel, describing how still paintings can create a kind of humming energy, and how the cadence of breath both anchors and reveals an inner musicality.

In Essence:This blog is about turning inward to sense and express not just what is externally visible, but also the subtle energies, anxieties, and harmonies within. It blends Dzu’s experiences of performance anxiety, cultural identity, artistic inspiration, and mindfulness—illustrating how art, movement, nature, and breath offer entry points to deeper self-understanding and meaning.

The painting on "The Vibrations Within and Without" blog page is best interpreted as an abstract, emotional landscape rather than a literal scene. Here’s an interpretation rooted in the artist’s text and visual themes:

• Colors and Composition:The work likely uses expressive, gestural lines and layered color fields. Instead of depicting a distinct object or scene, the marks create an atmosphere—suggesting movement, breath, and the intangible “vibrations” the artist describes. There may be contrasts between areas of stillness and areas of dynamic motion, echoing the inward-outward pulse of breathing.

• Imagery and Meaning:The painting reflects the experience of feeling exposed or watched (as when performing or being in a new environment), yet finding grounding through breath and awareness. The artist is interested in not just capturing external appearances (like fluttering leaves or human figures), but the inner sensations—what is vibrating inside when experiencing life, movement, and anxiety.

• Connection to the Blog Text:Just as Jackson Pollock aimed to paint the energy of a nuclear detonation (rather than its physical form) and Cézanne captured the harmony between objects and space, this painting seeks to record the invisible flow of emotion, stillness, and resonance within the artist’s body and mind. The reference to meditating in the Rothko Chapel—a space where color and stillness create a humming, almost musical quiet—suggests that the painting, too, is meant to evoke a sensory response rather than tell a direct story.

• Overall Interpretation:The painting is an invitation to feel, not just see. It’s about the “in-between” state—neither here nor there, alive with potential but also uncertainty. Lines, colors, and forms might shimmer, pulse, or hover, expressing Dzu Do’s search for presence, peace, and understanding through art and breath. Like the regular cadence of in and out breathing, the painting invites viewers to tune into their own vibrations within and without.

Color and Form:Expect dominant use of layered, translucent washes—likely cool blues, greens, or muted earth tones—contrasted by energetic gestural marks or occasional bright notes. Dzu Do’s works often balance large areas of calm (“stillness”) with bursts, eddies, or lines (“vibrations”) suggesting movement or breath.

Composition:The painting probably avoids strict symmetry, instead allowing forms to float, pulse, or cluster. Shapes may appear organic or amorphous—resembling currents of air, ripples in water, or leaves fluttering as referenced in the text.

Brushwork and Texture:Look for a variety of brushstrokes: some broad and tranquil (invoking calmness, meditation), others rapid, flickering, or even interrupted (invoking the heartbeat, the trembling of anxiety or anticipation). There might be areas where the paint thins to near-transparency, letting the “space” or paper beneath become part of the rhythm.

Emotional Effect:

• The result aims to evoke a sense of being “between worlds”: not grounded, but not fully adrift. The push and pull of stillness and vibration mirrors the conscious in-and-out of breath, the artist’s tool for anchoring the body and calming the mind when exposed or anxious.

• Like Jackson Pollock, Dzu Do paints not what’s visible, but the pulse and energy inside the moment. Like Rothko, broad color fields and subtle layering encourage contemplation, an awareness of both “within and without.”

• The sense of exposure, being watched, and trying to “ground” in art or breath, may be visualized as open negative space or sections of contrasting density.

Symbols:Any hints of fluttering leaves, trembling lines, or horizon-like divisions might stand for fleeting thoughts, the divisions of identity, or the interplay between inside experience and outside observation.

Summary:This painting is less a picture of an object or scene and more an invitation—to feel the “vibrations” inside yourself (anxieties, memories, hope) as you would notice and regulate breath in meditation. It mirrors the text’s goal of capturing not just what’s seen, but what’s felt and moved within.