New Watercolor Workshop in San Diego
1/30/2011 6:28:46 AM
I am pleased to announce that my new class has just been added to the San Diego Watercolor Society's workshop list.
I'll be teaching "Landscape and Perspective" in the SDWS Education Center, May 9-11, 2011. Each day duing class I will also do one or two demonstrations, such as this painting (a demo from my recent workshop).
For a class description and more information, please check out My Workshops and register online at www.sdws.org.
Firenze, Italy IX
Click here for an enlarged view.
Media: Original watercolor on paperImage Size: 21.5 x 14.25 inches (54.5 x 36 cm)Mat/Frame: NoPurchase: Please send me an email for more information.
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Nice, France VI, French Landscape Painting
1/28/2011 12:18:12 AM
Nice just glows at sunset. If you look from the top of the hill east of the Old Town, a sweeping view of this beautiful city reveals orange rooftops of the buildings, mile after mile. Brightened by the last rays of sunlight, they seem to be almost burning.
For this small painting, I zoomed in on the section of the Old Town where the majestic Cathédrale Sainte-Réparate stands. Things are quiet up on the hill as a night approaches, but down there in many restaurants and cafés it's going to be another busy night.
Nice, France VI
A larger image of this painting is [...]
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Nice, France V, French Landscape Painting
1/25/2011 9:49:04 AM
Light can be gentle, dangerous, dreamlike, bare, living, dead, misty, clear, hot, dark, violet, springlike, falling, straight, sensual, limited, poisonous, calm and soft (Sven Nykvist). When I paint into the light, I think of first what kind of light I am trying to paint. Here in Nice, on the southeast coast of France, mid-day light can be very unrelenting to the point of being painful sometimes. Light brings out colors more vividly but when it's intense, the strong contrast between light and shadow areas seems to look almost black and white. With that in mind, I used a wide range of [...]
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Santa Margherita Ligure, Italy III, Italian Landscape Painting
1/22/2011 11:10:16 AM
Right next to Portofino, Santa Margherita Ligure is another lovely town by the Ligurian Sea. Lured by the region's picturesque scenery and all that it offers, many tourists visit here. The popularity of these towns are attested by crowds at their beaches and waterfront promenades.
But if we go further inland a couple of blocks, what we will see is just local people going about their ordinary life. Children playing soccer, neighbors chatting in a square, moms busily shopping for dinner, a pizza delivery man on a Vespa... I just love seeing slice of life stories like these unfold.
In a residential neighborhood [...]
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Portofino, Italy V, Italian Landscape Painting
1/20/2011 11:44:38 AM
One of the rewards for traveling is that we realize there are many lessons to be learned out there. We can read or watch dvd's about different places, people and cultures, but the first-hand experience makes it so much easier to learn about them that it often doesn't feel like we are making a conscious effort.
For example, Portofino is a perfect place to understand the meaning of la dolce far niente, the sweetness of doing nothing, that I heard the Italians had perfected as an art form. Sitting at a cafe near the harbor surrounded by brightly-colored houses, the blue ocean [...]
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Portofino, Italy IV, Italian Landscape Painting
1/17/2011 2:02:36 AM
The internet has allowed us artists to reach virtually all over the world. I, for one, have done business with many people, in the last few years, who are more diverse in nationality, geographical location, profession, age, and financial means than I can write in one blog post.
Communication with them is usually by email. While some prefer keeping it strictly business, many tell me a bit of their background information - who they are, where they live, why they like a particular painting of mine, who they buy a painting for, etc. Each of their stories is so uniquely different, therefore [...]
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Cortona, Italy VI, Italian Landscape Painting
1/14/2011 3:12:44 AM
Artists may have a constant need to create but it is not easy to stay inspired all the time to do so, or it may not even be possible. As they say, life gets in the way... often. And we let go of our senses or ignore our emotions for what's supposed to be the source of inspiration. At a time like this, I would go out or let my mind wander in those special places I visited. If I find something, in real life or in my travel memories, like a sweeping, panoramic view of the Chiana Valley, it usually [...]
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Awajishima (Sumoto), Hyogo, Japanese Landscape Paintings
1/11/2011 6:09:35 AM
There are several beaches on the Awajishima Island and I really liked Ohama Beach in the town of Sumoto for its beautiful white sand and rows of pine trees. It was so quiet and the water was crystal clear. It was strange that not many people ventured out to enjoy this jewel, but I figured, in winter time, the idea of soaking in onsen (hot springs), which Sumoto is also known for, must be what attracts most visitors to the town.
In both of my paintings today, I used Mt. Mikuma as a backdrop. Using fairly thick mix of greens, purples and [...]
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Awajishima Island, Hyogo, Japan
1/9/2011 2:39:30 AM
To begin crossing the Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge is an exciting moment. And rightly so because it is the world's longest suspension bridge that connects the city of Kobe on Honshu the main island and Awajishima Island, more than 2 miles away. The day I traveled to Awajishima was quite windy, making me wonder if it was safe to cross. But I was assured by my travel companion that the bridge was constructed to withstand gusty winds and even strong earthquakes. This engineering marvel already looked very sleek from far away and its up-close views impressed me even more.
I couldn't help but notice, [...]
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Shirakawa-go, Gifu IV, Japanese Landscape Painting
1/6/2011 3:17:02 AM
Many Japanese folktales I heard when I was little began with pretty much the same sentence: Mukashi mukashi arutokoroni ojii-san to obaa-san ga sundeimashita (Once upon a time there lived an old man and his wife...). They often lived by a mountain, near a river, or in a remote village and lived a very simple life in a traditional Japanese house.
Although I have had chances to see many towns and villages in Japan throughout my life, none really matched the image of one conjured up in my mind from those folktales. I had never felt "this is it " until I [...]
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Takayama, Gifu IV & V, Japanese Landscape Paintings
1/4/2011 2:41:51 AM
When I, as a child, first saw a tree caged in a pyramid-shaped structure made of ropes, I thought they were for Christmas decorations. Later I learned that it was a horticultural technique called yukitsuri (meaning "snow hanging") to protect tree branches from the weight of wet, heavy snow. The idea must have been invented out of necessity but it is simply a unique form of art by itself, especially to someone like me who grew up in a place where snow was rare.
Recently when I visited a morning market in the town of Takayama, I saw yukitsuri already set up [...]
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Second Annual Signature American Watercolor Exhibition
1/2/2011 4:37:20 PM
I am pleased to announce that my work, Road to Kiyomizudera Temple, Kyoto I, has been selected by juror Linda Doll to be included in the 2011 Signature American Watercolor Exhibition.
The exhibition will be held in the Janice Griffiths Gallery at the Fallbrook Art Center, Fallbrook, California, February 6 to March 27, 2011. Visit the FAC website for more details.
(Update on 2/7/2011)
This painting was awarded Joan Roche Memorial Award by the juror.
Road to Kiyomizudera Temple, Kyoto, Japan I
Click here for an enlarged view.
Media: Original watercolor on paperImage Size: 21.5 x 29 inches (55 x 74 cm)Mat/Frame: Yes (30 x 40 inches)Purchase: [...]
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