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Travel Down Under

9/13/2017 9:19:41 PM

My first trip to Oz (Australia) last month was heaps of fun and an awesome learning opportunity with a few doses of culture shock. I started my adventure in Sydney, met up with my artist friend who organized my first 2 workshops in Newcastle and Mittagong, spent a mini holiday with her in the spectacular and very windy Blue Mountains, taught another workshop in Brisbane, met up with other friends in the balmy Noosa, taught in Adelaide, took a little trip to Hahndorf, and taught in Fremantle a.k.a. Freo. At the beginning of my 5-week trip it felt like winter there [...]

World Watermedia Exposition & Workshop in Thailand

6/17/2014 3:13:12 AM

The World Watermedia Exposition in Thailand (WWET) is truly a world-class watercolor event. In recognition of the importance and popularity of watermedia, the Office of Contemporary Art and Culture (Ministry of Culture of Thailand) organized the first international exhibition in Bangkok where 289 watermedia works are currently on view. 116 international artists and 30 Thai artists have been selected to participate in the show which runs until July 20 at the Ratchadamnoen Contemporary Art Center in Bangkok. I was deeply honored to be invited by the Director-General of the Office of Contemporary Art and Culture to participate both in the exhibition and [...]

Hakodate, Hokkaido III, Japanese Landscape Painting

8/17/2013 10:37:31 AM

Old-fashioned street cars bring me back distant memories of my childhood. As a toddler, I remember always wanting to go out for a little walk with my beloved grandmother. To me, it meant feeding pigeons at a nearby temple and waving to street cars on the way there while my grandmother was watching me with a gentle smile. I can't remember well a lot of other things from those days but a few things such as street cars have had a special place in my heart. Whenever I hear the familiar sound of a street car, I think of those old, happy days [...]

Yurakucho Station, Tokyo, Japanese Landscape Painting

1/4/2013 2:22:44 AM

If you're a salaryman (corporate businessman) working or visiting in Japan's capital, chances are that you have spent an evening under the train tracks at Yurakucho Station. There you find numerous izakaya's, small, traditional Japanese eating places and casual drinking places. After work, a number of businessmen are seen here drinking and socializing with their friends or co-workers over popular dishes such as yakitori.This painting depicts an early evening scene around Yurakucho Station. The area is getting crowded with businessmen who have just come out of nearby office buildings. Are they heading home or are they here for chotto ippai (a [...]

More Paintings of Istanbul, Turkey

7/5/2011 4:02:02 PM

In Istanbul, it doesn’t take long for any first-time visitors to notice a loud melodic male voice coming from a mosque several times a day. My Turkish friend told me five times a day this Islamic call to prayer is announced via a public address system. Since there are so many mosques, or camii as they are called in Turkish, chances are you are almost always within an easy reach of one, especially in the old part of the city. As soon as you hear the "song," you will see many local people, mostly grown men and some boys, cleanse their hands and feet and [...]

Making a Mark by Katherine Tyrrell

5/7/2011 3:07:14 AM

Making a Mark is one of the most popular art blogs in UK written by UK artist and writer Katherine Tyrrell. In just five years or so, her blog has attracted more than one million visitors, and artists and art lovers regularly check on what she has to say as she covers a wide variety of topics: drawing, painting, art blogs, visual artists, art competitions, art exhibitions, art history, art technique, art business, etc. Last week Katherine chose me in her weekly "Who's made a mark this week" post, and talked about the acceptance of my painting "Marseille St-Charles II" into the [...]

National Watercolor Society 2011 All Member Exhibition

4/25/2011 1:26:43 AM

It is with a great pleasure that I announce the inclusion of my painting in the upcoming exhibition of the National Watercolor Society. I am honored that Juror Marciano Martinez has chosen "Marseille St-Charles II" for the 2011 NWS All Member Exhibition. The show runs from May 15 to June 12 at the NWS Gallery (915 S. Pacific Avenue, San Pedro, CA). The opening reception will be held at the gallery on May 15, from 2 to 5 pm. Marseille St-Charles, France II Click here for an enlarged view of this painting. Media: Original watercolor on paperImage Size: 15 x 22 inches (38 x 56 [...]

Paris (#30) - Tram, French Landscape Painting

4/9/2011 9:39:57 AM

Paris (#30) - Tram The state-of-the-art trams are a fairly new sight in the cityscape of Paris (Tramline T3 opened in December, 2006). Compared to the city-wide Metro network, the tram service is still limited as it only covers the 13th, 14th and 15th arrondissements in south Paris. However, many stops along the line also connect to metro or suburban railway lines, so it can be very useful if one wants to avoid driving into the city. Given the increasing popularity of this modern transportation system in many cities around the world, maybe we will see more tramways running across the City of [...]

Santa Fe Depot, San Diego Paintings

2/17/2011 3:36:34 AM

I can't think of a better place than Santa Fe Depot (Union Station) to welcome visitors to San Diego. It's such a beautiful place and I even think making a trip to see just that is worthwhile. The architecture, reflective of the city's Spanish Colonial heritage, is breathtaking. When passengers get off a train and walk alongside the historic building and rows of majestic palm trees, I see them just smiling. Once inside, then the interior makes anyone stop and say wow. The high ceiling, brilliant tile work throughout, cozy benches, and a little cafe... all create a very inviting atmosphere. As light [...]

Road to Eiheiji Temple, Fukui, Japan

12/20/2010 2:59:53 AM

I've been on this road before and here I am once again on my way to Eiheiji Temple in Fukui Prefecture, Japan. My last visit here more than 6 years ago was around this time of the year as well. Winter has just begun in Fukui so the weather is far from the severest, but I have been spoiled by a year-round mild climate of San Diego. As before, I find myself shivering from the freezing temperature and occasional snowfalls. Eiheiji is one of the most important zen temples in Japan and visitors come here literally from all over the world. Although [...]

Harajuku, Tokyo II, Japanese Landscape Painting

9/30/2010 1:17:49 AM

From brand name designers to high-end restaurant owners, to merchants of trinkets, to fast food joint operators, if anybody wants to stay in business in Harajuku, they have to be a trend-setter. After all, this is a fashion capital of Japan where people, especially the young, come from all over the country to see what's in style. Thus things can change quickly as "in with the new, out with the old" seems to be the rule. But there's something that's never changed for almost 90 years and that's what I painted today. This white-walled, half-timbered building is Harajuku Railway Station. [...]

Paris (#24) - Gare de l'Est, Interior Painting

4/26/2010 1:41:04 AM

Gare de l'Est (Paris East Station), not far from Gare du Nord is one of the main railway stations in Paris. With the beginning of high-speed rail service a few years ago, this station is busier than ever as the sleek TGVs and ICEs come and go, whisking passengers between Paris and cities northeast of Paris. Only five minutes before the scheduled departure of our TGV train for Strasbourg, our track number was not announced yet. Many people around me here in the airy Central Hall were looking at a departure information screen rather anxiously. They had to be waiting [...]

Paris (#7) - Gare du Nord, French Landscape Painting

3/2/2010 6:49:25 AM

Paris (#7) - Gare du Nord The North Station (Gare du Nord) is one of the terminus railway stations in Paris. It looks magnificent, from any angle, so I made another painting of it, this time from a different side of the structure (Click to view a step-by-step demo of my first painting, Paris North Station). I got off here when I arrived in Paris by train for the first time. Old apartment complexes, graffitti-covered walls, billboards, industrial zones... What I saw, as my train began to slow down before reaching this station, was a little glance at the northern suburban [...]

About Commissions - Alaska Railroad

1/31/2010 2:03:58 AM

Alaskan Railroad Stefan (not his real name) took a photo of a magnificent train in the breathtaking nature of Alaska. He had kept it for 20 years, thinking maybe some day he would have a painting made of the photo. I had the pleasure of meeting him and his lovely wife a couple of years ago at an art opening. Soon afterward they started collecting my paintings. Just recently Stefan said to me, "You know, I never thought of this to be done in watercolor, but can I commission you to do an Alaskan train painting from my photo?" I looked [...]

San Diego 100 (#81) - Poway, California Landscape Painting

10/25/2009 3:51:43 PM

If you think there is a little train buff in you, head inland to Old Poway Park. Although we have Amtrak and a few others, trains are just not so common to see or ride in our everyday life in San Diego. So, it is a real treat to be able to see the vintage 1907 Baldwin No.3 Steam Locomotive up close and in person. It is even more fun to go for a ride as it blows smoke and chugs around the woodsy park. If you don't care too much about trains, Old Poway Park still is a nice [...]

Lausanne Train Station, Switzerland, Swiss Landscape Painting

8/13/2009 12:26:49 AM

Lausanne Train Station, Switzerland I It was almost the end of a day and the last rays of sunlight were gradually coming into tracks at the Lausanne central station. The station serves as a hub, so trains come and go at all times. Normally it's a very busy place, but at this particular moment, there was eerie quietness with only one train at the next track and a handful of quiet passengers around me. Soon another train arrived from Geneva and two more followed, each time accompanied by an announcement in several different languages. The station was busy again. Lausanne Train Station, Switzerland A larger [...]

Geneva, Switzerland II, Swiss Landscape Painting

8/11/2009 1:07:47 AM

Geneva, Switzerland II When it comes to public transportation, Geneva has all the comforts a traveler can ask for. First they offer a complimentary transportation from its airport to the city center, which is minutes away. From the main station, trains take us to other major cities all over Switzerland and some in France. And they are clean and punctual. Access to a railway track from the underground passageway is made easy by a gradual slope so we don't have to lift our luggage up and down the stairs. A little thing like that makes traveling a pleasant experience. Trams, such as the one in this painting, get us all [...]

Marseille St-Charles, France, French Landscape Painting

7/3/2009 7:42:03 AM

As soon as we stepped off a train, we were welcomed by a chorus of familiar voices of Provence -- cigales (cicadas). The heat was pretty intense near the Alpes a few days ago but there was no sound of this creature there. I think there must be an invisible line somewhere between Lyon and Marseille these insects wouldn't cross and they stay on the south side of it throughout summer. St-Charles is a main train station of Marseille, the gateway to the land of sunshine and the Mediterranean. Every time a TGV arrives here from north (Paris, Lyon), families with children, old [...]

My Favorite Subjects (5) - Trains

11/4/2008 9:26:05 AM

"… and I come ten thousand miles away / … and I'm out here on my own / well it was a train that took me away from here …" (lyrics from Tom Waits’ Train Song) Trains are more than just a means of transportation. In the southern Kyoto (Japan) where my family lives, short-distance trains are essential in many people’s lives. They use them to go to work, to school, to a hospital, a library, a bank, grocery shopping or for whatever is on their to-do list. On the platform or inside the train, ladies shoot the breeze and students [...]

Canadian Society of Painters in Water Colour (CSPWC) Annual Open Juried Exhibition Opening Reception Is Today

10/30/2008 2:15:49 AM

OPEN WATER 2008 opens en fanfare today at John B. Aird Gallery in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. OPEN WATER is the CSPWC's annual transparent watercolor show and this is their 83rd exhibition. I am delighted to announce that my entry Journey Home VI has been selected by a group of jurors and given Sam Black Award for Excellence in Transparent Watercolour in this show. - Visit my website to view more Japanese landscape paintings. Journey Home VI Media: Original watercolor on paper Image Size: 14 x 21 inches Purchase: Please contact me for more details. [...]

Saudade in Portugal

10/22/2008 11:06:57 AM

Bairro Alto, Lisbon, Portugal (14"x 21") The first Europeans who set foot in Japan were three sailors from Portugal. That was in 1542. Then Jesuit priests came to introduce Christianity. Their influence is being felt to this day beyond religious ideas. For example, in Japanese, there are still quite a few words that have a Portuguese origin such as tempura and pan (bread). Geographically Portugal and Japan are far distant from each other but, in fact, have had a long-time relationship. In Portugal, I felt at home, even on my first visit there. I don’t know if I was somehow thinking [...]