La 12ème Biennale du Salon de l'Aquarelle de Belgique 2011
10/29/2010 6:58:33 AM
I received great news a few days ago that 4 paintings of mine have been juried into the 12th Biennial Salon de l'Aquarelle de Belgique. I am honored to be selected by a panel of distinguished judges for this prestigious watercolor biennial exhibition in Europe. The 12th Biennial takes place in Namur, Belgium, from May 7 to May 29, 2011. The exhibiting artists represent 12 countries, including Belgium, Spain, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Switzerland, Canada, the U.S., Lebanon and Lithuania.
Collioure Bar, France III
Click here for an enlarged view. Media: Original watercolor on paper Image Size: 14.25 x [...]
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Cortona, Italy I, Italian Landscape Painting
10/28/2010 3:21:59 AM
Hilltop towns and villages in Italy have existed for centuries. In some of these places, time seems to have stopped at middle ages. On the other hand, some were "discovered" by travelers getting off the beaten track, and became popular tourist destinations. Being written about in a book or travel magazine or being featured in a movie also played a role in the popularity at least for a few of these towns. Cortona was taken by the Etruscans in the ancient times but today by tourists and travelers who come here from all over the world for its magnificent views, [...]
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Portalegre, Portugal IV, Portuguese Landscape Painting
10/25/2010 3:20:06 AM
One of the pleasures of traveling overseas for me is to get to know other cultures. There's a lot we can learn from just going there and observing people, but if we could somehow communicate with local people by exchanging real words, the reward would be a lot bigger. However, as we know from our high school experience of studying a foreign language, we can achieve a certain level of fluency only after numerous hours of serious learning. But I'd like to say we shouldn't be discouraged by that because even learning a few basic words of a country we [...]
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The Way of the World - My Feature Article in Watercolor Artist Magazine
10/22/2010 7:45:22 PM
It all started with a surprise email from the editor of Watercolor Artist magazine back in March. Soon she connected me with Ann Emmert Abbott, a Cincinnati-based freelance writer and former editor of the magazine. After many emails, a telephone interview with me and an untold number of hours she must have spent going through my website and blog, Ann wrote "The Way of the World," a feature article about me and my work that has just been published in the December issue of Watercolor Artist. Back in April and May, I also worked with my photographer, Michael Campos of [...]
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Portalegre, Portugal III, Portuguese Landscape Painting
10/21/2010 3:08:30 AM
Our bus that left Lisbon soon crossed the Tagus River over the Vasco da Gama Bridge, one of the longest in Europe. A drive from the other side of the river to Portalegre was pretty much through the countryside. As we passed several small towns, stopping at one for coffee, we didn't see many people, but there were always a few old men sitting outside a neighborhood cafe. In fact, there were not many people on the bus, either. Portalegre is in the northern Alto Alentejo region and very close to the Spanish border. While the town is lovely with [...]
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Napoli, Italy VIII, Italian Landscape Painting
10/18/2010 1:58:49 AM
Despite the fear of living near Mount Vesuvius that buried Pompeii in the year 79, people in Naples have been enjoying benefits from what the fertile volcanic soils bring to their tables - some include finest ingredients for their famous pizza. Vera Pizza Napoletana - A sign that says "true Neapolitan pizza" can be seen here and there when we walk on the streets of Naples. In this logo, there's a pizza maker (pizzaiolo) standing with a giant wooden spatula (in green) with a round dough (in red) on it. There's also Mount Vesuvius depicted in the black background, and [...]
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Finalist, Southwest Art 21 Over 31 Emerging Artists Competition
10/16/2010 3:04:22 AM
Southwest Art magazine has just announced the winners and the Top 50 finalists of their second annual 21 Over 31 competition. I am very pleased to have my work selected to be one of the 50 finalists out of nearly 3,000 entries (read more..). It is a great honor to have my painting included in this group of outstanding works. In addition to Toji Temple, Kyoto, Japan IV posted to the magazine's website, another one of my recent watercolors, Pacific Coast Highway III, is reproduced in the November issue of the magazine (page 107).
Toji Temple, Kyoto, Japan IV
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Napoli, Italy VII, Italian Landscape Painting
10/14/2010 3:08:04 AM
Napoli, Italy VII
What color symbolizes may be different from culture to culture, or even from person to person. I'm not an expert on symbolism of color but I know it does funny things to our psychology. I have painted streets from different corners of the world, and I have found I choose the color(s) I associate with a particular place in my painting of the place. This doesn't happen all the time, but I find it very intriguing when it does. One example is today's painting. I didn't intend to color the street this way, but doesn't the foreground look [...]
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Preview: Feature Article in Watercolor Artist, December 2010
10/12/2010 2:58:49 AM
I am very pleased to announce that there will be a feature article about me and my work in the December issue of the Watercolor Artist magazine. The article is based on my interview and will include several new images of my paintings, including this one.
The magazine is scheduled to be on the newsstands in the U.S. on October 26. Meanwhile, please enjoy my gallery, an online-exclusive album of my paintings on the Watercolor Artist magazine website.
Aux Tours de Notre Dame, Paris, France
Click here for an enlarged view. Media: Original watercolor on paper Image Size: 14.25 x [...]
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Gods' Presence in Izumo, Japanese Landscape Painting
10/9/2010 6:22:08 AM
October is more commonly called ju gatsu (the tenth month) but is also called kam(i)nazuki (the month without gods) in Japanese. An idea behind this is that all the shinto gods are gathering at the Grand Shrine in the town of Izumo, leaving the rest of Japan without their presence in October (of the lunar calendar). On the other hand, Izumo gets crowded suddenly with visits from thousands of gods and pilgrims; therefore only here this month is called kamiarizuki (the month with gods). This annual event has been more than welcomed by the people in Izumo and they [...]
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Izumo Canal II, Japanese Landscape Painting
10/7/2010 2:46:53 AM
Whether they are plein-air studies or studio creations based on my reference photos, my paintings are my emotional response to the inspiration. Although I am constantly looking for a new idea, I stop and look or listen whenever the old inspiration speaks to me again. I painted the same canal in Izumo, Japan last year (click here to see the painting). Revisiting the same subject matter is rare for me but I enjoy it, or rather I cannot deny the urge to respond when the old inspiration has resurfaced. Technically speaking, it's like musicians remixing their song to create [...]
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Marunouchi, Tokyo I, Japanese Landscape Painting
10/5/2010 2:28:38 AM
Chauffeurs in the suits with white gloves were making sure the cars they drive for their bosses were spotless. Black sedans, neatly parked on the street and near entrances of stately office buildings, looked ready now. It was close to the end of another busy work day in the middle of Tokyo, I imagined that corporate executives would soon come out and hop in these cars to go to a business dinner or to attend an evening social function at a luxurious hotel. Marunouchi is Japan's most prestigious business center where many companies have (or wish to have) headquarters. Hard [...]
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Story of Hachiko - Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan I
10/2/2010 4:15:20 AM
"A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself." -- Josh Billings I never had a dog of my own but I know this is true from a famous story of Hachiko. Often called Chuken (faithful dog) Hachiko by Japanese people, he lived from 1923 to 1935 in the Shibuya area in Tokyo. Everyone in Japan knows that this Akita dog waited for his master at the Shibuya Station every day as he returned from work. But one day his master didn't come home because he had died at a university where [...]
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