Christmas
ThursdayDecember25 2008 Filed in:Galleries
USA
December
25
Merry Christmas to all of my friends in Japan and the USA. Iowa is cold and miserable in winter. It's hard to come back to -12 F (-24 C) temperatures once you've been away I'm asking myself why I ever left beautiful Japan to live in this frozen wasteland but I was able to have fun over the holidays with my friends and family and was even invited to a Christmas party.
This is my friend's Christmas tree not mine. See that painting on the right I did that it's a portrait of my friend we met in high school 34 years ago.
This is my friend's kitchen not mine where we made some Christmas goodies for the party.
This is my friend
who's a very talented guy playing the piano. Everyone
enjoyed singing Christmas carols at the party.
At the party I met a man who covers his truck with Christmas lights every year. He said It takes him 2 or 3 days to duct tape the lights on.
I also met a man from Mexico who opened his own cake shop in Des Moines named Let Them Eat Cake. He made this Christmas cake for the party. I foolishly didn't eat any because at the time I was stuffed. I think I gained 2 or 3 pounds over the holidays.
This is not a real fireplace but a DVD playing on my sister's big flat screen TV. It gives us the illusion of warmth and coziness. I spent Christmas Day with my family at my sister's.
And now for something from Japan. This is a guy who makes vegetables into musical instruments. In this case a big piece of broccoli. For your listening enjoyment he will play Angels We Have Heard On High.
No painting yet but I'm working on three and next month I'm sure you can see my new work. Happy Holidays!
Merry Christmas to all of my friends in Japan and the USA. Iowa is cold and miserable in winter. It's hard to come back to -12 F (-24 C) temperatures once you've been away I'm asking myself why I ever left beautiful Japan to live in this frozen wasteland but I was able to have fun over the holidays with my friends and family and was even invited to a Christmas party.
This is my friend's Christmas tree not mine. See that painting on the right I did that it's a portrait of my friend we met in high school 34 years ago.
This is my friend's kitchen not mine where we made some Christmas goodies for the party.
At the party I met a man who covers his truck with Christmas lights every year. He said It takes him 2 or 3 days to duct tape the lights on.
I also met a man from Mexico who opened his own cake shop in Des Moines named Let Them Eat Cake. He made this Christmas cake for the party. I foolishly didn't eat any because at the time I was stuffed. I think I gained 2 or 3 pounds over the holidays.
This is not a real fireplace but a DVD playing on my sister's big flat screen TV. It gives us the illusion of warmth and coziness. I spent Christmas Day with my family at my sister's.
And now for something from Japan. This is a guy who makes vegetables into musical instruments. In this case a big piece of broccoli. For your listening enjoyment he will play Angels We Have Heard On High.
No painting yet but I'm working on three and next month I'm sure you can see my new work. Happy Holidays!
The end of autumn
WednesdayNovember12 2008 Filed in:Galleries
USA
November 12th
The end of autumn, I hate saying the beginning of winter because it's a depressing time especially here in Iowa where we have such a terrible long winter. My home in Japan the weather was milder but we couldn't afford to heat our whole house, at least here every room is warm. Americans complain about their high prices but try living in Japan, it's twice as much.
I dressed up for Halloween this year since I was with my daughter. I'm the ultimate mother so I dressed as my evil twin "Bad MaMa".
I had to borrow some clothes from my daughter. I'm wearing her jr. prom dress. Pretty scary.
Here's a picture of the Iowa State University Campus taken the beginning of this month on one of the last beautiful days we had.
Since this picture was taken we've had our first snow fall. ISU has one of the most beautiful campuses in the USA, at noon there is a little concert when the bells play in the tower.
Still adjusting to being an American again, I am eating more like an American but I cannot eat the large amount of food they give you at the restaurants so my daughter and I usually buy one meal and share.
This is one of my favorite local places to eat, you get homemade vegetable chips instead of potato chips. I do have a weakness for junk food especially chips and chocolates.
I don't have a car so my nephew is letting me borrow his for the time being. He had a little accident but it still purrs like a kitten.
A Buick LeSabre my sweet ride. My daughter calls it our ghetto ride.
I have a new friend. Brazilian artist Claudia Xavier Delima. Here is a link to her site. http://www.claudiaxavierdelima.com/ She has a wonderful site so please visit it and say hello. I belong to a variety of on-line galleries and Claudia and I discussed putting links on our site to our friend's sites which I think is a great idea. I will plan on doing that in the near future.
I have started painting and hopefully my next entry will be my new painting.
The end of autumn, I hate saying the beginning of winter because it's a depressing time especially here in Iowa where we have such a terrible long winter. My home in Japan the weather was milder but we couldn't afford to heat our whole house, at least here every room is warm. Americans complain about their high prices but try living in Japan, it's twice as much.
I dressed up for Halloween this year since I was with my daughter. I'm the ultimate mother so I dressed as my evil twin "Bad MaMa".
I had to borrow some clothes from my daughter. I'm wearing her jr. prom dress. Pretty scary.
Here's a picture of the Iowa State University Campus taken the beginning of this month on one of the last beautiful days we had.
Since this picture was taken we've had our first snow fall. ISU has one of the most beautiful campuses in the USA, at noon there is a little concert when the bells play in the tower.
Still adjusting to being an American again, I am eating more like an American but I cannot eat the large amount of food they give you at the restaurants so my daughter and I usually buy one meal and share.
This is one of my favorite local places to eat, you get homemade vegetable chips instead of potato chips. I do have a weakness for junk food especially chips and chocolates.
I don't have a car so my nephew is letting me borrow his for the time being. He had a little accident but it still purrs like a kitten.
A Buick LeSabre my sweet ride. My daughter calls it our ghetto ride.
I have a new friend. Brazilian artist Claudia Xavier Delima. Here is a link to her site. http://www.claudiaxavierdelima.com/ She has a wonderful site so please visit it and say hello. I belong to a variety of on-line galleries and Claudia and I discussed putting links on our site to our friend's sites which I think is a great idea. I will plan on doing that in the near future.
I have started painting and hopefully my next entry will be my new painting.
Halloween Purikura
ThursdayOctober30 2008 Filed in:Galleries
P-klub
(Purikura)
Culture Shock
ThursdayOctober23 2008 Filed in:Galleries
USA
October 23rd
Culture shock is the feeling of disorientation by someone who is suddenly subjected to an unfamiliar culture, way of life, or set of attitudes. I am still going through the emotional ups and downs of adjusting to life in a small town in Iowa. Yesterday I was up but today I'm down really down, it's been cold and rainy here all week and this time of year in Japan is always so beautiful, my favorite time of year. Right now I feel like I'm in hell. I've got to start painting again.
On the other hand last weekend we had beautiful weather. My daughter and I went to a park and saw a natural sculpture exhibit. We walked for about 3 hours.
This is the natural sculture exhibit we visited.
We walked around this lake.
This is how bad my culture shock is, when I first saw this I thought it was another sculpture but no it's a bike rack. Duh.
Every time I go to a park here I see someone getting their picture taken. Americans apparently like having their picture taken outside for different occasions such as an engagement announcement, wedding, new baby or a high school senior graduating. I was making fun of this and asked my daughter to take a high school senior picture of me outside but my daughter calls these my senior citizen pictures.
Graduating in life my senior citizen pictures. Somebody please help me.
Culture shock is the feeling of disorientation by someone who is suddenly subjected to an unfamiliar culture, way of life, or set of attitudes. I am still going through the emotional ups and downs of adjusting to life in a small town in Iowa. Yesterday I was up but today I'm down really down, it's been cold and rainy here all week and this time of year in Japan is always so beautiful, my favorite time of year. Right now I feel like I'm in hell. I've got to start painting again.
On the other hand last weekend we had beautiful weather. My daughter and I went to a park and saw a natural sculpture exhibit. We walked for about 3 hours.
This is the natural sculture exhibit we visited.
We walked around this lake.
This is how bad my culture shock is, when I first saw this I thought it was another sculpture but no it's a bike rack. Duh.
Every time I go to a park here I see someone getting their picture taken. Americans apparently like having their picture taken outside for different occasions such as an engagement announcement, wedding, new baby or a high school senior graduating. I was making fun of this and asked my daughter to take a high school senior picture of me outside but my daughter calls these my senior citizen pictures.
Graduating in life my senior citizen pictures. Somebody please help me.
New Life
MondayOctober13 2008 Filed in:Galleries USA
October 13
I returned to America last month and am now living in a small town in Iowa. My life has change completely from the one I had in Japan. In Japan I lived in a city surround by mountains with a view of Mt. Fuji. I had a home, two cars, a cute little dog and a great job as a teacher. In Iowa I live in a city surrounded by flat farmland. I have a small apartment, no car, no dog, no job but I do get to live with my daughter. My daughter wanted to experience high school in America and I came here to be with her. Even though I'm American I lived in Japan for twenty-one years and feel more comfortable in Japan than America. I am suffering from culture shock everytime I try to do something, today I tackled the complexities of grocery shopping. The shopping cart is hugh, the food unfamiliar, the store is too big it takes too long to find anything and how does one check out? Luckily the people here have been kind and helpful on the whole making my transition a little less stressful.
I had my 51st birthday this month and I deserved this slice of double fudge chocolate madness supreme cake.
I returned to America last month and am now living in a small town in Iowa. My life has change completely from the one I had in Japan. In Japan I lived in a city surround by mountains with a view of Mt. Fuji. I had a home, two cars, a cute little dog and a great job as a teacher. In Iowa I live in a city surrounded by flat farmland. I have a small apartment, no car, no dog, no job but I do get to live with my daughter. My daughter wanted to experience high school in America and I came here to be with her. Even though I'm American I lived in Japan for twenty-one years and feel more comfortable in Japan than America. I am suffering from culture shock everytime I try to do something, today I tackled the complexities of grocery shopping. The shopping cart is hugh, the food unfamiliar, the store is too big it takes too long to find anything and how does one check out? Luckily the people here have been kind and helpful on the whole making my transition a little less stressful.
I had my 51st birthday this month and I deserved this slice of double fudge chocolate madness supreme cake.
We Are Best Friends
ThursdaySeptember11 2008 Filed in:Galleries
P-klub
(Purikura) | Paintings
September 12th
I'm very happy today because on top of preparing for a long trip to America and getting all my documents together and going to doctors and so on I was able to finish another "purikura" painting ( for explanation click August 2008 in the left hand column) in a fairly short amount of time. I'm not sure when I will be painting again because I will not be able to take anything with me and will be very busy but hopefully soon.
Titled: We Are Best Friends
I'm very happy today because on top of preparing for a long trip to America and getting all my documents together and going to doctors and so on I was able to finish another "purikura" painting ( for explanation click August 2008 in the left hand column) in a fairly short amount of time. I'm not sure when I will be painting again because I will not be able to take anything with me and will be very busy but hopefully soon.
Titled: We Are Best Friends
Picnic By The Lake
SundaySeptember07 2008 Filed in:Galleries
Japan
September 7th
Picnic by the lake
Went to Lake Kawaguchi again today, one of the five lakes of Mt. Fuji and I think my favorite. Too cloudy to see Fuji but lots of autumn ornamental grass even though it is still very hot and humid.
I ate lunch by the lake, an onigiri ( rice ball wrapped in dried seaweed ).
I use to hate nori ( dried seaweed ) but I grew to appreciate it. I've been told that onigiri are the "Japanese hamburger" and that nori will give you glossy black hair, so far it hasn't. It's been too hot to do much of anything and I haven't been painting or preparing for my trip to America. My onigiri looks like Mt. Fuji.
Picnic by the lake
Went to Lake Kawaguchi again today, one of the five lakes of Mt. Fuji and I think my favorite. Too cloudy to see Fuji but lots of autumn ornamental grass even though it is still very hot and humid.
I ate lunch by the lake, an onigiri ( rice ball wrapped in dried seaweed ).
I use to hate nori ( dried seaweed ) but I grew to appreciate it. I've been told that onigiri are the "Japanese hamburger" and that nori will give you glossy black hair, so far it hasn't. It's been too hot to do much of anything and I haven't been painting or preparing for my trip to America. My onigiri looks like Mt. Fuji.
Purikura
FridayAugust29 2008 Filed in:Galleries P-klub
(Purikura) | Paintings
August 29th
Purikura (print club)
I'm painting again and I have started to paint a series of paintings that will be influenced by Japanese pop culture. When my daughter meets her friends they always go to a digital picture sticker booth which is vastly superior to the old photo booths I would go to when I was young. The picture sticker booth was invented in Japan, these pictures are called "purikura" which is derived from the English words "print club". You have the ability to change the lighting, the backdrops, add your own writing or add special effects, this is all decided within a few minutes. My daughter always shows me her new purikura and I'm fascinated by these tiny pictures and the designs and colors that she and her friends make, what a wonderful memory of being young and hanging out with your friends.
This is my interpretation of purikura, it has a very flat, stylized background surrounding the figure with a message written into and part of the design in a innocent child-like manner. I have combined modern with traditional, which I often do, with the waves right out of a Japanese wood block print. This is just the first experiment hopefully they will improve. Titled "His Dream Is My Nightmare"
I love the beach but I have a fear of being in the ocean it's my nightmare. The ocean is deep dark water full of scary creatures that will eat you. When we went to Guam I was walking in water only up to my knees and screaming to get out. I may have permanently damaged my daughter too on this matter hopefully she will overcome her mother's fears and be a far more adventurous person than I am.
Purikura (print club)
I'm painting again and I have started to paint a series of paintings that will be influenced by Japanese pop culture. When my daughter meets her friends they always go to a digital picture sticker booth which is vastly superior to the old photo booths I would go to when I was young. The picture sticker booth was invented in Japan, these pictures are called "purikura" which is derived from the English words "print club". You have the ability to change the lighting, the backdrops, add your own writing or add special effects, this is all decided within a few minutes. My daughter always shows me her new purikura and I'm fascinated by these tiny pictures and the designs and colors that she and her friends make, what a wonderful memory of being young and hanging out with your friends.
This is my interpretation of purikura, it has a very flat, stylized background surrounding the figure with a message written into and part of the design in a innocent child-like manner. I have combined modern with traditional, which I often do, with the waves right out of a Japanese wood block print. This is just the first experiment hopefully they will improve. Titled "His Dream Is My Nightmare"
I love the beach but I have a fear of being in the ocean it's my nightmare. The ocean is deep dark water full of scary creatures that will eat you. When we went to Guam I was walking in water only up to my knees and screaming to get out. I may have permanently damaged my daughter too on this matter hopefully she will overcome her mother's fears and be a far more adventurous person than I am.
Fireworks and Guam
ThursdayAugust14 2008 Filed in:Galleries Japan
August 14th
Fireworks and Guam
My daughter went to one of the many fireworks shows we have in Japan in the summer, this is a little bit of the video she took. She went with some friends mom wasn't invited sorry I missed it, the firework shows in Japan are the best. My daughter has returned to America and I will be joining her in September and living in a small town in Iowa, this will be a big adjustment for me even though I grew up in Iowa I haven't lived there for years and am more Japanese than Iowan, I'm sure I will suffer from culture shock for a while. I will miss Japan very much!
This summer we went to Guam for the first and probably last time. Guam was very hot and humid, my hotel room was awful it had a strong smell of mold and everything felt wet but it did have a swimming pool next to the ocean and we could watch the sunset every night which was quite beautiful. I didn't like Guam at first but after a while it started to grow on me, still I don't think I will ever go there again too many Japanese tourist!
It's unfortunate I don't have any pictures of us riding the banana boat because that would have been the funniest picture of me ever. I thought I was going to die!
Lake Kawaguchi
SundayJune15 2008 Filed in:Galleries Japan
June 16th
Sunday Afternoon at Lake Kawaguchi
My daughter is home for summer vacation so I will be lucky if I can pick up a paint brush. Sunday I went to the Mt. Fuji five lakes area and took a walk around Lake Kawaguchi, even though it's rainy season in Japan we are having pretty decent weather. This scene reminded me of a George Seurat painting "Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Gande Jatte".
Sunday Afternoon at Lake Kawaguchi
My daughter is home for summer vacation so I will be lucky if I can pick up a paint brush. Sunday I went to the Mt. Fuji five lakes area and took a walk around Lake Kawaguchi, even though it's rainy season in Japan we are having pretty decent weather. This scene reminded me of a George Seurat painting "Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Gande Jatte".
Portrait Of Mimi
FridayMay30 2008 Filed in:Galleries Paintings
May
30th
Daughter's Portrait
Finished a portrait of my daughter today. She became seventeen years old this month. Before my daughter started high school in America she wanted to put some pink strips of color in her hair. She could never do this and go to high school in Japan most schools have very strict rules, no dyed hair, no makeup, no jewelry etc... So I couldn't blame her for wanting to have a little fun. The schools in Japan can go too far like making a student with naturally brown hair dye it black or if the student has naturally wavy hair like my daughter they question her like she committed a crime because perms are against the rules. Conformity is the driving force behind these rules and I think it is stressful for the students sometimes. She likes her American high school better but she misses her Japanese friends.
In the background of this painting you can see a small picture of my daughter when she was seven years old. In Japan there is a special religious ceremony performed at the shrine for girls at this age. They usually wear either a kimono or a party dress. I wanted to compare the difference between the ages of seven and seventeen. Also in the background you can see my eyes and our dog Emma watching Millei grow up. The rose symbolizes my love for my daughter.
Daughter's Portrait
Finished a portrait of my daughter today. She became seventeen years old this month. Before my daughter started high school in America she wanted to put some pink strips of color in her hair. She could never do this and go to high school in Japan most schools have very strict rules, no dyed hair, no makeup, no jewelry etc... So I couldn't blame her for wanting to have a little fun. The schools in Japan can go too far like making a student with naturally brown hair dye it black or if the student has naturally wavy hair like my daughter they question her like she committed a crime because perms are against the rules. Conformity is the driving force behind these rules and I think it is stressful for the students sometimes. She likes her American high school better but she misses her Japanese friends.
In the background of this painting you can see a small picture of my daughter when she was seven years old. In Japan there is a special religious ceremony performed at the shrine for girls at this age. They usually wear either a kimono or a party dress. I wanted to compare the difference between the ages of seven and seventeen. Also in the background you can see my eyes and our dog Emma watching Millei grow up. The rose symbolizes my love for my daughter.
Air Of Loneliness
May
23rd
Air Of Loneliness
I will be changing domain hosts soon so my site may be disrupted for a day. I have also joined a new art gallery site : spraygraphic.com
I also finished the fourth painting in the "Lily Pond" series, the title of this painting is "Air Of Loneliness" . I was only planning to do four paintings in this series, it is inspired by the book "Snow Country" written by the first Japanese writer to win the Nobel Prize, Yasunari Kawabata who is believed to have committed suicide. "Snow Country" explores themes of loneliness and the possibility of love. To learn more go to my paintings-lily pond series page.
Air Of Loneliness
I will be changing domain hosts soon so my site may be disrupted for a day. I have also joined a new art gallery site : spraygraphic.com
I also finished the fourth painting in the "Lily Pond" series, the title of this painting is "Air Of Loneliness" . I was only planning to do four paintings in this series, it is inspired by the book "Snow Country" written by the first Japanese writer to win the Nobel Prize, Yasunari Kawabata who is believed to have committed suicide. "Snow Country" explores themes of loneliness and the possibility of love. To learn more go to my paintings-lily pond series page.
Self-Portrait
TuesdayMay13 2008 Filed in:Galleries Paintings
May
13th
Disheveled Middle Aged Woman
Another week, another painting. I finished a self-portrait, I haven't done a self-portrait since my college days and I haven't done a portrait of anyone for at least twelve years. The last portrait I painted was of my daughter when she was four years old. I added this painting to the end of my "Ten Masks" movie. I think it looks like me except maybe ten years younger. It's hard to paint all the wrinkles.
I'm wearing my bathrobe and pajamas because I've been wearing them so much do to health problems and I guess they are my favorite clothes. The mask I'm holding is the Noh mask for a disheveled middle aged woman.
Disheveled Middle Aged Woman
Another week, another painting. I finished a self-portrait, I haven't done a self-portrait since my college days and I haven't done a portrait of anyone for at least twelve years. The last portrait I painted was of my daughter when she was four years old. I added this painting to the end of my "Ten Masks" movie. I think it looks like me except maybe ten years younger. It's hard to paint all the wrinkles.
I'm wearing my bathrobe and pajamas because I've been wearing them so much do to health problems and I guess they are my favorite clothes. The mask I'm holding is the Noh mask for a disheveled middle aged woman.
Freshly Pealed
May
5th
Freshly Pealed
I surprise myself today by actually keeping to my plan to finish at least one painting a week. I finished the third painting in the "Lily Pond" series. The first two paintings were very stylized, influenced by an antique kimono design. What I like about this painting is that it has more of a feeling of real water and the reflection of clouds. My daughter likes the fishes' mouths.
Freshly Pealed
Freshly Pealed
I surprise myself today by actually keeping to my plan to finish at least one painting a week. I finished the third painting in the "Lily Pond" series. The first two paintings were very stylized, influenced by an antique kimono design. What I like about this painting is that it has more of a feeling of real water and the reflection of clouds. My daughter likes the fishes' mouths.
Freshly Pealed
Matsumoto Castle
MondayMay05 2008 Filed in:Galleries Japan
May
7th
Magnificent Matsumoto Castle
It was golden week in Japan and I went to Matsumoto Castle yesterday. I wasn't that thrilled about going because I've been there several times before but the weather was perfect and the scent of Wisteria was in the air so I actually had a good time. I tried going to the top of the castle which involves climbing very steep stairs. I was OK until I got to the last set of stairs, which are the hardest to climb, and then I knew I couldn't do it when I watched young healthy people struggling and almost falling to their deaths.
They also have a small museum on the castle grounds with a few interesting items like this collection of large wooden penises.
I also saw a giant straw sandal which could easily pass for modern art.
To see more of my pictures of magnificent Matsumoto Castle please look on the photo page.
Magnificent Matsumoto Castle
It was golden week in Japan and I went to Matsumoto Castle yesterday. I wasn't that thrilled about going because I've been there several times before but the weather was perfect and the scent of Wisteria was in the air so I actually had a good time. I tried going to the top of the castle which involves climbing very steep stairs. I was OK until I got to the last set of stairs, which are the hardest to climb, and then I knew I couldn't do it when I watched young healthy people struggling and almost falling to their deaths.
They also have a small museum on the castle grounds with a few interesting items like this collection of large wooden penises.
I also saw a giant straw sandal which could easily pass for modern art.
To see more of my pictures of magnificent Matsumoto Castle please look on the photo page.
Dogwood
WednesdayApril16 2008 Filed in:Galleries Japan
April
16th
Dogwood In Bloom
Now the dogwood tree in front of my house is blooming. There are many dogwood trees where I live in Japan, many streets are lined with dogwoods. The dogwood tree was a present from America in exchange for the cherry blossom trees that are famous in Washington D.C. The problem with Cherry Blossom trees are the annoying black flies that circle around your head if you go anywhere near them when they are in bloom.
Not so with the Dogwood, it's a beautiful tree.
Dogwood In Bloom
Now the dogwood tree in front of my house is blooming. There are many dogwood trees where I live in Japan, many streets are lined with dogwoods. The dogwood tree was a present from America in exchange for the cherry blossom trees that are famous in Washington D.C. The problem with Cherry Blossom trees are the annoying black flies that circle around your head if you go anywhere near them when they are in bloom.
Not so with the Dogwood, it's a beautiful tree.
Milky Way, Soft Happiness
I'm finally painting again after many health problems
caused by a prescription drug. I will never take a
drug without googling it again! I've been dealing
with one problem after another for the last seven
months and have to go to a pain clinic every week. I
think I finally finished this painting, it took me
months.
Milky Way
April 28th
Soft Happiness
Finished the second painting in the Lily Pond series in one week. It's my goal to finish one painting a week till my daughter returns for summer vacation in June. I have my doubts I will be able to do this but.. I'll give it a try. I am planning to do four paintings in this series.
Soft Happiness
Milky Way
April 28th
Soft Happiness
Finished the second painting in the Lily Pond series in one week. It's my goal to finish one painting a week till my daughter returns for summer vacation in June. I have my doubts I will be able to do this but.. I'll give it a try. I am planning to do four paintings in this series.
Soft Happiness
Spring in Japan
TuesdayMarch18 2008 Filed in:Galleries Japan
March 18th
Spring In Japan
The beginning of Spring in Japan.
Went to view the plum blossom trees...
devoured a strawberry parfait.
March 30th
Cherry blossom trees were in full bloom today. There beauty is short lived and will only last the week.
Cherry blossom flavored sweets can also be enjoyed only at this time of year.
Cherry blossom ice cream.
Spring In Japan
The beginning of Spring in Japan.
Went to view the plum blossom trees...
devoured a strawberry parfait.
March 30th
Cherry blossom trees were in full bloom today. There beauty is short lived and will only last the week.
Cherry blossom flavored sweets can also be enjoyed only at this time of year.
Cherry blossom ice cream.
Ten Masks
in sunlight and shadows... in moonlight and candles... ten masks
Japanese artists would paint screens to be viewed in different lights.. in sunlight, in shadow, in moonlight and in candlelight. Or so I read in a magazine at the beauty parlor, you never know where the big ideas will come from. All of the mask paintings have the same basic composition, the mask and horizon line is positioned in the same place, the features of the face all measured to the same dimensions. The difference is light and shadow and how it can fall on a face and change the expression. I thought it would be challenging to use a mask to express feelings, hiding behind the mask... our true emotions.
I got the idea for the mask series many years ago. I painted the first mask painting maybe sixteen years ago. Then I had a baby and built a house, I did not paint during this busy time.And then a series of unfortunate events in my life left me feeling lost. I decided to have an exhibit, painting would be my therapy. I never forgot about the mask painting and decided to repaint it. It started with despair where many journeys of discovery begin, rock bottom. As I would finish one painting the next one would appear like a vision. I finished all ten paintings in an eight month period and had an exhibition. I completed other paintings but nothing has meant more to me.I recently dusted them off and decided to make a movie useing my new art tool, the computer, to give them a new life.
The "Mask" series is inspired by the Japanese Noh theater. Noh is a kind of symbolic drama, the actors perform while wearing masks. It's themes concentrate on human destiny rather than events. It is performed on a very simple stage, and it has developed into a highly stylized art.
Rather than explain the meaning of every symbol in the paintings, I like to hear how the viewers interprete them themselves.
I was very surprised when I had an exhibit that two television stations and a newspaper reporter showed up for interviews since I am a complete nobody. During my exhibit, people kept trying to touch my paintings to see if they were really flat...I kid you not! I even caught two middle aged women scratching one to see if it was a pastel, luckily not or it would of been damaged. It was strange, this behavior was most disappointing to me and I felt like I was on guard at a museum during the exhibit. I have been discouraged to have another exhibit since.
I did enter one painting (5 love) in a juried art exhibit at a big important museum in Tokyo and the judge wrote me a lovely note about making the roses more realistic. I did appreciate that he took the time to write me some words of encouragement, even though I felt he missed the point that my paintings are not about realism. Isn't it obvious? My painting was also returned deliberately defaced, in such a way that it could only of been deliberate. Someone put a red dot on the forehead like they do in India, a third eye. Someone's idea of a joke I suppose though I didn't find it very funny and I detest unprofessional behavior. After that I pretty much gave up on exhibits in Japan.
I did try to exhibit in America and thought it would be great to exhibit with a real mask artist. I asked a few and they politely turned me down. Too expensive without a sponsor and they were right , these things should not be entered into lightly and would anyone really show up to make it worth the effort? So I gave up on that too.
I use to have the whole collection hanging on the first floor of my house but Japanese children found them so scary that sometimes they would even burst into tears ( again I'm not kidding ) so I kind of gave up on that and they are now hanging in a secret location.
______________________________________________________________________________
The "Mask" series was inspired by the Japanese Noh Theater. To learn about Noh please try this site:
http://jguide.stanford.edu/site/noh_428.html