In the Chinese zodiac, 2025 is the year of the Wood Snake. As wood is associated with both trees and fire, I thought this might be an appropriate theme to address as we embark on yet another year in the history of our world.

So much is happening in the world today. We find ourselves constantly being barraged by overwhelming news of human and environmental disasters – fires, floods, earthquakes, wars. It can sometimes feel as if we are in the throes of an ideological shift in our cultures, economies, nations and universes. Our brains take in so much information that we don’t (or can’t) stop to find the harmony and balance we so desperately need.

In Chinese astrology, the Wood Snake possesses characteristics such as growth, wisdom and tolerance, as well as passion, energy, transformation and brightness. Symbolically, this year is considered a return to one’s true nature, a year of self reflection, self-discovery, creativity and inner growth. It is a symbol of rebirth and eternity, the continuous renewal of life. And we all know that this is what we desperately need.

In keeping with the year’s theme, I wanted to pay tribute to and honor a very special artist, friend and mentor, Dr. Catherine Yi-yu Cho Woo. I met Dr. Woo in the infancy of my life in the art world. Standing barely five feet tall, this tiny woman was a powerhouse. At times, she reminded me of Kung Fu Master Pai Mei in the Quentin Tarantino film, Kill Bill 2, the one who would insult and beat Uma Thurman into submission to teach and hone her to be mentally (and physically) strong.

Catherine was a taskmaster. She didn’t shy away from chastising me if I didn’t do something the right way – her way! Yet she was also a loving and supportive friend. She taught me the way of “wind and water,” the Chinese art of Feng Shui. That was her weapon, her superpower – capturing the special forces of life through art and beauty.

Also known as Chinese Geomancy, Feng Shui is a 4000-yer-old Chinese practice harnessing the forces of energy to help people harmonize with their surroundings by designing spaces to maximize the flow of positive energy. It is based on the idea that the flow of universal energy, or qi (ch’i) – the life force that inhabits everything, the material principle that governs the universe – can be directed through landscapes and bodies of water.

A key principle of ch’i is the balancing of the yin and yang, opposite but complementary forces, ever-changing, yet in balance. By being interdependent, they create each other through their existence and movement. Catherine taught me that everything must be in equilibrium for harmony and health. The interaction of these opposing forces produces that ch’i.

I learned that Feng Shui defines the five elements of wood, fire, earth, metal and water, which sustain the cycle of life and balance.

Catherine believed that there is no separation of art, life, and Feng Shui. Her works therefore embraced and reflected a balance of the five elements.

When I first met Catherine, she had recently been nominated by President George Bush Sr. and confirmed by Senate Committee hearings as the first Asian-American woman to be a member of the National Arts Council. She was in her 60s at the time.

A fireball of energy, I don’t believe she ever slept. Born in Beijing, China in the 1930s, Catherine Yi-yu Cho hailed from a family of scholars. As a young girl, she learned six dialects of Chinese. She sailed to America in 1953 to study architecture at the University of Illinios in Chamgpne-Urbana. While there, she met and married architect Peter Woo. As a young mother, she returned to her studies in interior design, art history, Chinese literature and language, earning a doctorate from the University of San Francisco. At the same time she began studying the art of Feng Shui under Grandmaster Lin Yun, Rimpoche, the founder of Mizong (Esoteric Tradition) Feng Shui.

Building on Feng Shui principles, Catherine channelled insights into beauty and peacefulness through her works which have won global praise.

As a disciple of Mizong Feng Shui, Dr. Woo maintained that the positioning of paintings within a room can have different effects on those who view the art. Displays of her works that respect Feng Shui principles, whether at public galleries or in private homes, have been found to bring a sense of peace and tranquility to the space and those who view them.

Dr. Woo’s works embrace these principles and how they influence the various domains of our life; namely architecture and living space, which in turn affects the life aspects of health, wealth, family, relationships, creativity, reputation, and judgment.

Today, I wish to honor this woman, the master, who infused powerful life force into her paintings. As a young girl trying to find her way in the world of art, she gave me the tough but loving support that I will forever be grateful for. She taught me that, if we learn to harness the life force within our universe, artists can not only be the recorders of history but its changemakers.