Despite its title, Two Dragon Pines,Taken at West Sea, there is no sea in this image. Instead, clouds fill the void within the mountainous expanse. The twisted branches of pine trees rise up like two alert dragons from the rolling clouds and cresting peaks. The artist’s philosophical perspective is evident in his reference to qi (vital energy), a basic principle of Daoism: “These mountains are not mountains, they are the mountains of my mind, they are Qi, black, gray, and white balanced to be energy.”