Kitty Enso 2 - Virginia Cohn Parkum, c. Unknown

In Kitty Enso 2, Virginia Cohn Parkum blends Zen calligraphic practice with playful figuration, transforming the traditional enso into a space of warmth and personality. The soft gray circle, brushed in a single continuous motion, encloses a calm interior field that serves as both void and presence — a hallmark of Zen aesthetics. Its slight irregularity and feathered edges emphasize the human hand and the meditative gesture from which it emerged.

Within this circular field, Parkum constructs a stylized cat face using spare, expressive brush marks. Two gently curved strokes suggest closed, peaceful eyes; small shapes form a nose and whiskered muzzle; above, scattered marks hint at ears and markings, evoking the patterned fur of a resting feline. The features hover between representation and abstraction, emerging only as the viewer lingers.

The composition balances stillness and play. The enso traditionally symbolizes enlightenment, emptiness, and the completeness found in imperfection. By placing the quiet presence of a cat within its boundary, Parkum reframes the circle as a space of domestic serenity and mindful companionship. The cat appears neither alert nor asleep, but poised in a state of tranquil awareness — an embodiment of meditative calm.

Loose brush fragments below the circle suggest paws or movement, subtly grounding the image and reinforcing the sense of a living presence within the symbolic form. Parkum’s affection for cats becomes inseparable from the spiritual gesture itself: the animal is not decoration, but an expression of stillness, attentiveness, and quiet being.

Kitty Enso 2 reveals Parkum’s ability to hold reverence and humor in the same gesture. The work invites contemplation while offering a gentle smile, suggesting that enlightenment may be found not only in disciplined practice, but in the soft, familiar presence of a companion resting at the center of one’s awareness.