Warm sunny days have been missing this summer in Santa Barbara.  During my short stay there recently, I heard local people describing the summer of 2010 as "the foggiest" or "the gloomiest," so it didn't take me long to realize the seriousness of it.

Walking around the harbor and enjoying its lovely view last month, I was glad I had a jacket to put on as the fog kept rolling in, and the ocean breeze was too chilly for me.  But even though the typical June Gloom was overstaying its welcome, Santa Barbara was still beautiful, shining like a jewel.


Santa Barbara, California I

A larger image of this painting is available on request.

Media: Original watercolor on paper
Image Size: 8.25 x 11.5 inches (21 x 29 cm)
Mat/Frame: No
Purchase: Please send me an email for more information.


Visit my gallery at Daily Painters Gallery.

Join me on Facebook and follow my blog on NetworkedBlogs.

Visit my gallery at Daily Paintworks.

Follow me on Twitter

FASO Artist Websites - Easy, Professional Art Websites for Artists who Sell

If any popular seafood eatery is right next to the busy harbor,  you can bet their fish is as fresh as it can get and their food won't disappoint.  This clam bar facing the picture-perfect Santa Barbara Harbor is such a place.

While I was there just before lunchtime, more small fishing boats had returned from the sea with their catch of the day, and some kids were watching fishermen unload their ships, amazed and curious.

I like painting cafes and restaurants, and especially enjoy a cozy one, like this, that is filled with light.


Clam Bar, Santa Barbara, California

Click here for a larger view of this painting.

Media: Original watercolor on paper
Image Size: 11.5 x 8.25 inches (29 x 21 cm)
Mat/Frame: No
Purchase: Reserved

Please send me an email for more information.


Visit my gallery at Daily Painters Gallery.

Join me on Facebook and follow my blog on NetworkedBlogs.

FASO Artist Websites - Easy, Professional Art Websites for Artists who Sell

It's actually not so far from coastal communities by the Pacific Ocean, probably less than 20 miles, but a drive on a winding road through farms, hills of citrus groves, and oak forests to a small town of Ojai will take us to a place that seems like a world apart.

Situated in the Ojai Valley, this hamlet is known to attract many visitors who admire its beautiful hilly landscape.  They also come for various art events, spas, golf, or just to enjoy a small town feel.

The tower built in the Spanish Revival style of architecture that attracts attention on the main street is a local post office.  So charming a landmark, I painted it from two different spots on the town's tree-shaded streets.


  Ojai, California II


Ojai, California I & II

A larger image is available on request.

Media: Original watercolor on paper
Image Size: 8.25 x 11.5 inches (21 x 29 cm)
Mat/Frame: No
Purchase: Please send me an email for more information.


Visit my gallery at Daily Painters Gallery.

Join me on Facebook and follow my blog on NetworkedBlogs.

FASO Artist Websites - Easy, Professional Art Websites for Artists who Sell

Now I've joined the surfin' nation and so
I'll take a permanent vacation and go
To the golden shores of 'Frisco Bay
I'll ride 'em all the way to Malibu

("California Calling" by Beach Boys)

Even if one knew nothing about beaches in the Golden State, it would take little time to realize Malibu must be one of the great surfing spots.

As the Beach Boys had been praising its name in their hit songs even before I was born, Malibu beaches have been popular with surfers for a long time, and as a result the town has formed a unique surfing culture within (So I heard).

People who look for some great surf, those who want to learn how to surf, those who want to watch the surfers, or even those who want to paint the surfers, they are all here to do what they came here for, and it is pure fun.  As I said in my last blog post, a beautiful geographical setting in this community makes a visit here even more memorable.


Malibu, California III


Malibu, California III

A larger image of this painting is available on request.

Media: Original watercolor on paper
Image Size: 8.25 x 11.5 inches (21 x 29 cm)
Mat/Frame: No
Purchase: Please send me an email for more information.



Malibu, California IV

Click here for a larger view of this painting.

Media: Original watercolor on paper
Image Size: 8.25 x 11.5 inches (21 x 29 cm)
Mat/Frame: No
Purchase: Please send me an email for more information.


Visit my gallery at Daily Painters Gallery.

Join me on Facebook and follow my blog on NetworkedBlogs.

FASO Artist Websites - Easy, Professional Art Websites for Artists who Sell

Malibu's geographical setting is so dramatic that an opportunity to paint any part of it is just too hard to pass up.

A little further north on the Pacific Coast Highway from Santa Monica, the city of Malibu lies on a narrow strip of land between deep canyons and beaches.

When my eyes caught a view of Malibu from this angle, I really liked the way it gave me a strong sense of place and that everything seemed to flow from the canyon side toward the ocean in one gentle, sweeping motion.


Malibu, California II

Click here for a larger view of this painting.

Media: Original watercolor on paper
Image Size: 8.25 x 11.5 inches (21 x 29 cm)
Mat/Frame: No
Purchase: Please send me an email for more information.


Visit my gallery at Daily Painters Gallery.

Join me on Facebook and follow my blog on NetworkedBlogs.

Visit my gallery at Daily Paintworks.

Follow me on Twitter

Xialongbao that I had was filled with crab meat.  It was not just any crab but the much sought-after kind from the Yangtze Delta (read related post and see another painting of this restaurant).

In Chinese cuisine, crab meat is considered yin because of its cooling characteristics.  Therefore, it is often eaten together with something else that has a warming (yang) effect such as vinegar.

Yin and yang - they are two opposites that interconnect and interact, and together make a whole.

Whether conscious or not, we painters think in terms of yin and yang when we design and execute a painting.  After gaining a little knowledge on what makes a painting, the importance of understanding the polarity of many elements in composition, paint application, color choices and types of brushstrokes, becomes clearer to us.  Our brain is constantly making choices between light/dark (values), warm/cool (hues), positive/negative (shapes), wet/dry (surface), etc. while working on a painting.

So, when I look at a finished painting, it has to feel, in a way, as if I just had the most delicious crab meat together with rich, flavorful aged vinegar.  If not, I just have to try again.


Yuyuan, Shanghai, China IV

Click here for a larger view of this painting.

Media: Original watercolor on paper
Image Size: 11.5 x 8.25 inches (29 x 21 cm)
Mat/Frame: No
Purchase: Sold


Visit my gallery at Daily Painters Gallery.

Join me on Facebook and follow my blog on NetworkedBlogs.

Visit my gallery at Daily Paintworks.

Follow me on Twitter

In an ancient water village like Zhouzhuang, narrow waterways and bridges are well integrated into daily life.  Here's a painting of a boat sliding under one of the stone arch bridges.  I don't know exactly why but I love painting bridges - not just because of their beautiful shapes, but perhaps because of what they signify as well on a broader sense.

In fact, I was touched when I learned of an interesting story about a painting of one of the bridges in Zhouzhuang.  The painting was done by a well-known Chinese painter Chen Yifei (1946-2005).  Here's what happened after he had his first one-man show in New York in 1983:

Armand Hammer, the owner of the Hammer Galleries and then the chairman of the Occidental Petroleum Corp. bought one piece of Chen's work -- Twin Bridge (Shuangqiao)-- Memory of My Country, and presented it to China's late paramount leader Deng Xiaoping when they met in Beijing.  Thus Chen became a special witness of friendship between China and the United States through his artistic production.  The story was much told in both artistic and diplomatic circles.  (Source: China-Fun.net)


Click here to see another painting of Zhouzhuang, China.


Zhouzhuang, China IV

Click here for a larger view of this painting.

Media: Original watercolor on paper
Image Size: 8.25 x 11.5 inches (21 x 29 cm)
Mat/Frame: No
Purchase: Please send me an email for more information.


Visit my gallery at Daily Painters Gallery.

Join me on Facebook and follow my blog on NetworkedBlogs.

Zhouzhuang is one of the remaining ancient water villages in the south of Jiangsu Province in China.  Surrounded by lakes and rivers, the village with more than 900 years of history offers a glimpse of what life used to be like in the olden days.

Fairly accessible either from Shanghai or from Suzhou, it is a popular place with day-trippers who visit to enjoy a boat cruise up and down on the canals inside the village.  I don't think comparing it to another famous canal city further west would do it any justice, but Zhouzhuang or the nearby region is often called "Venice of the Orient" or "Venice of China".

In fact, as in Venice, I saw something that inspired me to paint at virtually every turn when I was walking in this village.

Click here to see another painting of Zhouzhuang, China.


Zhouzhuang, China III

A larger image of this painting is available on request.

Media: Original watercolor on paper
Image Size: 8.25 x 11.5 inches (21 x 29 cm)
Mat/Frame: No
Purchase: Please send me an email for more information.


Visit my gallery at Daily Painters Gallery.

Join me on Facebook and follow my blog on NetworkedBlogs.

Despite what I said in my recent blog post, I love Madrid for its urban vitality and sophisticated cultural scene.

The area surrounding the Puerta del Sol, a short walk from Plaza Mayor, is especially lively.  Always crowded with shoppers, tourists, business people, students and onlookers, it seems everything takes place in this square, the most popular in Madrid, or in all of Spain for that matter.

I even found a bear there.  The bronze statue called "El Oso y El Madrońo" (the bear and the berry tree) is a city's symbol and many locals adore it and use it as a meeting point.  It is said that there used to be a lot of bears living in the wooded areas near Madrid.  Thus this statue was erected.  It reminded me of a bronze statue of loyal dog Hachiko in Tokyo, also a beloved symbol and a popular meeting spot.




Madrid, Spain IV


Madrid, Spain I

Click here for a larger view of this painting.

Media: Original watercolor on paper
Image Size: 14 x 21 inches (36 x 53 cm)
Mat/Frame: No
Purchase: Please send me an email for more information.



Madrid, Spain IV

A larger image of this painting is available on request.

Media: Original watercolor on paper
Image Size: 11.5 x 8.25 inches (29 x 21 cm)
Mat/Frame: No
Purchase: Please send me an email for more information.



Visit my gallery at Daily Painters Gallery.

Join me on Facebook and follow my blog on NetworkedBlogs.

If you have traveled to many places, I think you'd agree that it is often the people you met that give you a lasting impression of a particular place.  Speaking of Madrid, two encounters I had over there vividly come back.

In a restaurant, a young (and not so bad-looking) man spoke to me from behind in a language I didn't understand.  I turned around and politely said, sorry, I don't speak your language.  Then I turned back and, a surprise, the small bag I had next to me was gone.  The man's buddy snatched it and together they ran away.  Luckily, the loss was very minimal but it took me a day to get over the shock.

On another trip to Madrid, I was on a train and realized that I had lost my wallet with some money, credit cards and other important things in it.  I had no idea if I had accidentally dropped it somewhere or, again, if I was a victim of a very tricky pickpocket.  Some of the passengers were very sympathetic and helped me look for it but to no avail.  It took me days to patch up the damage... but several months later, something quite incredible happened.  I received a letter from the Japanese Embassy in Madrid, saying they had my wallet (with everything in it).  Someone apparently had reported it to the local police.

There are all kinds of people to make up the world.  And Madrid is one of the places that remind me of that in a quite intense way.


Madrid, Spain III

A larger image of this painting is available on request.

Media: Original watercolor on paper
Image Size: 11.5 x 8.25 inches (29 x 21 cm)
Mat/Frame: No
Purchase: Please send me an email for more information.


Visit my gallery at Daily Painters Gallery.

Join me on Facebook and follow my blog on NetworkedBlogs.

To visit Toledo is to gain a bit of insight, if you will, into why painters like El Greco produced more masterpieces after arriving here.  A correlation between heightened creativity and a geographical location of an artist would be an interesting thing to know more about, but for now I will just peek a little into his creative psyche by quoting him:


I paint because the spirits whisper madly inside my head.

Artists create out of a sense of desolation.  The spirit of creation is a excruciating, intricate exploration from within the soul.

I was created by the all powerful God to fill the universe with my masterpieces.

Art is everywhere you look for it, hail the twinkling stars for they are God's careless splatters.


Toledo, Spain X

Click here for a larger view of this painting.

Media: Original watercolor on paper
Image Size: 8.25 x 11.5 inches (21 x 29 cm)
Mat/Frame: No
Purchase: Reserved.  Available after Sept. 1, 2010

Please send me an email for more information.



Visit my gallery at Daily Painters Gallery.

Join me on Facebook and follow my blog on NetworkedBlogs.

If we hop on the Spain's high-speed train in Madrid and zip through the La Mancha plains, we get to Toledo so quickly we won't even have time for a short nap on board, much less the time to fully take in the region's landscapes from a window.  But once in Toledo, we have plenty of opportunities to enjoy panoramic views all around and think about scenes from Cervantes' Don Quixote.  It is one of the memorable things to do in this hilltop town.

The catch is, we have to walk a lot to find rather scarce view points.  Up and down on narrow, winding cobbled streets.  And these streets are just like a maze that makes us wonder often where the heck we are.  In the summer, we have the blazing hot sun to keep us company.  It is easy to be tempted to retreat to a hotel room for a siesta, but the reward is very nice... like this view with Tagus River in today's painting.

Forewarned, forearmed; to be prepared is half the victory. - Miguel de Cervantes, Spanish author


Click here to see other Toledo paintings.


Toledo, Spain IX

Click here for a larger view of this painting.

Media: Original watercolor on paper
Image Size: 8.25 x 11.5 inches (21 x 29 cm)
Mat/Frame: No
Purchase: Please send me an email for more information.


Visit my gallery at Daily Painters Gallery.

Join me on Facebook and follow my blog on NetworkedBlogs.

There are so many historic and culturally-important monuments in Toledo.  Almost anyone can easily find a reason to visit this UNESCO World Heritage Site.  But, among the Gothic Cathedral, El Greco's masterpieces, churches and museums, can a little sweet be a reason compelling enough to travel there?  Absolutely!  Toledo's marzipan, a confection of sugar and almond paste, is the finest and crafted by local confectioners as if it were a piece of artwork.  What a delight to sit under a tree with a cup of coffee and a piece of freshly-made marzipan.

Click here to see other Toledo paintings.


Toledo, Spain VIII

Click here for larger view of this painting.

Media: Original watercolor on paper
Image Size: 11.5 x 8.25 inches (29 x 21 cm)
Mat/Frame: No
Purchase: Sold


Visit my gallery at Daily Painters Gallery.

Join me on Facebook and follow my blog on NetworkedBlogs.

As I was painting this canal scene yesterday, quite coincidentally a big airmail package arrived from Zhujiajiao.  It was from the International Watercolour Biennial Exhibition Office, and I knew immediately there was something inside that I was waiting for for months.  A beautiful album, containing images of the paintings that are currently hung in the Inaugural Shanghai Zhujiajiao International Watercolour Biennial Exhibition, is finally here, courtesy of the exhibition organizers.

A 28.6 x 28.6 cm (11.25 in) softcover book with front and back flaps and perfect binding, features 244 paintings that were selected from 2,500 submissions, and is such a treasure to have I just couldn't put it down and looked through it over and over again.  I was so delighted to see brilliant watercolors done by quite well-known artists and some of my personal friends.  I was also entertained immensely by exquisite works of many Chinese artists whom I hadn't heard of before.

I think it is also worth mentioning that, this book being completely bilingual, all the names of the artists and their paintings were meticulously translated into Chinese.  If you're one of the international artists in the book, it's interesting to see how your name is written in their language.

On the cover is a picture of the Fangsheng Bridge, an ancient stone bridge and the largest in the village.  Yes, I was admiring a panoramic view from the top of it only a month ago, and all the memories of my visit there quickly came back (read related post)...


   
This 276-page catalog features all paintings selected for the exhibition, including
these two of mine (shown, right)


Click here to see more Chinese landscape paintings.


Zhujiajiao, China V

A larger image of this painting is available on request.

Media: Original watercolor on paper
Image Size: 8.25 x 11.5 inches (21 x 29 cm)
Mat/Frame: No
Purchase: Please send me an email for more information.



Visit my gallery at Daily Painters Gallery.

Join me on Facebook and follow my blog on NetworkedBlogs.

It is refreshing to come to Zhujiajiao from Shanghai.  While Shanghai is going through urbanization at incredible speed, it is a relief to find a small village, not so far from the ever-growing megalopolis, that fits my image of serene, Old China.

I hope new waves of change will be kept at bay from an ancient village like this.  As they say, "once the water is out of the bucket, it’s hard to pour it back."

Please enjoy more paintings of canals of Zhujiajiao.

Click here to see more Chinese landscape paintings.




Zhujiajiao, China IV



Zhujiajiao, China III

Click here for a larger view of this painting.

Media: Original watercolor on paper
Image Size: 8.25 x 11.5 inches (21 x 29 cm)
Mat/Frame: No
Purchase: Please send me an email for more information.



Zhujiajiao, China IV

A larger image of this painting is available on request.

Media: Original watercolor on paper
Image Size: 8.25 x 11.5 inches (21 x 29 cm)
Mat/Frame: No
Purchase: Please send me an email for more information.



Visit my gallery at Daily Painters Gallery.

Join me on Facebook and follow my blog on NetworkedBlogs.

I had the pleasure of viewing the Shanghai International Watercolour Biennial Exhibition last month.  Paintings on display, selected from hundreds (or perhaps thousands) of submissions from all over the world, were all stunning work.  I uploaded to one of my Facebook albums the photos I took at the Quanhua Gallery where this exhibition takes place during the duration of the World Expo.

To visit the exhibition means to discover one of the ancient water villages in the outskirts of Shanghai.  About an hour and half drive out of this ultra-modern metropolis, Zhujiajiao sits quietly at the western edge of the Shanghai region where lakes and rivers dominate the surrounding landscape.

These paintings show one of many picturesque views in the village, seen from where one canal merges into a river.  Red lanterns, painted in the classic, bright Chinese red, beckon as if to say "may happiness and good fortune come your way."  (Here's an interesting story about red lantern makers in China).


Zhujiajiao, China II


Red Lanterns (Zhujiajiao, China I)

A larger image of this painting is available on request.

Media: Original watercolor on paper
Image Size: 8.25 x 11.5 inches (21 x 29 cm)
Mat/Frame: No
Purchase: Sold


Zhujiajiao, China II

A larger image of this painting is available on request.

Media: Original watercolor on paper
Image Size: 11.5 x 8.25 inches (29 x 21 cm)
Mat/Frame: No
Purchase: Please send me an email for more information.



Visit my gallery at Daily Painters Gallery.

Join me on Facebook and follow my blog on NetworkedBlogs.

Always make sure they are fresh, high-quality and without impurities.  It'll be even better if they are carefully manufactured by a reputable artisan.  Then, when tried, they will satisfy you with rich, smooth texture and color.  A wonderful experience like this is hard to forget, making us want to come back to it again and again...

How our paints/colors perform can make or break a painting.  That's why it is important to choose the best kind that suits our taste, style, subject, or even character.  If we don't feel good about the paints in our palette, we won't make a truly good painting because our lack of confidence will show.

(What?  Someone thought I was talking about a gelato, the kind I had in this sunny town in Southern Italy?)


Sorrento, Italy V

Click here for a larger view of this painting.

Media: Original watercolor on paper
Image Size: 8.25 x 11.5 inches (21 x 29 cm)
Mat/Frame: No
Purchase: Please send me an email for more information.


Visit my gallery at Daily Painters Gallery.

Join me on Facebook and follow my blog on NetworkedBlogs.

I am revisiting the same subject (the Spanish Steps) for today's painting.  This from the base at the Piazza di Spagna is most likely one of the best-known views of Rome.  A long stairway leading up to a beautiful church with twin bell towers; really warm colors of the buildings on both sides, and lots and lots of people.  However, to admire this lively view is one thing, to paint it is quite another, especially in a format that I use for my daily painting.  There's just too much information there to put in a small painting!  So, as a way to deal with this potential headache, I tried not to see this famous scene as the one widely known to us but instead focused on highlighted areas and the outline of the buildings as a whole.  The end result is a painting with large shapes and colorful dots.


Roma, Italia XXXIV

Click here for a larger view of this painting.

Media: Original watercolor on paper
Image Size: 8.25 x 11.5 inches (21 x 29 cm)
Mat/Frame: No
Purchase: Sold

Visit my gallery at Daily Painters Gallery.

Join me on Facebook and follow my blog on NetworkedBlogs.

Yesterday I received this wonderful news direct from Ecuador.  My painting, "Duomo, Milano, Italy II" has been awarded first place in an international watercolor exhibition (II Encuentro de Acuarelistas Hispanoamericanos) currently being held at the Teatro Centro de Arte in Guayaquil, the largest city in Ecuador on the Pacific Coast.

This is an incredible honor for me, and I would like to thank the organizers (especially Consuelo & Patricia) for making this possible.  The exhibition runs through August 5, 2010.


Duomo, Milano, Italy II

Media: Original watercolor on paper
Image Size: 70 x 50 cm (28 x 20 inches)
Purchase: Please send me an email for more information.


Visit my gallery at Daily Painters Gallery.

Join me on Facebook and follow my blog on NetworkedBlogs.

It is interesting to see on a map how Rome is divided into two sections by the River Tiber.  Compared to the bigger east side with all the famous monuments, the west side may be less well-known but has a distinctively unique character.

When I'm in Rome, I like walking through back alleys to come to the riverbanks of the Tiber.  In Roma, Italia XXXII is one of the bridges near the Castel Sant'Angelo, and Roma, Italia XXXIII shows a view from it.

Watching the river run and taking in the surrounding scenery from this bridge,  I think of ancient times... Is it really true Romulus and Remus, the twin founders of Rome, were thrown into this river before they were saved by a she-wolf who raised these infants?... In a city like Rome, a bridge is not just to get us to the other side of a river; it seems to take us all the way back to the past in history.



Roma, Italia XXXIII (available)


Roma, Italia XXXII & XXXIII

Larger images of these paintings are available on request.

Media: Original watercolor on paper
Image Size: 8.25 x 11.5 inches (21 x 29 cm)
Mat/Frame: No
Purchase: Please send me an email for more information.


Visit my gallery at Daily Painters Gallery.

Join me on Facebook and follow my blog on NetworkedBlogs.

Out of many squares in Rome, who wouldn't love the Piazza della Rotonda?  Some might ask, "where is that?" because the name of the square may not be as popular as the image of it.  But "rotonda" meaning a round building in Italian, it's easy to think of one, a famous one, that fits the description - the Pantheon.

Always crowded and lively, this square is so well-known that, if you can't remember the name, you can simply say to your friend, "let's meet up in the square of the Pantheon."

  This is how I started this painting.



Roma, Italia XXXI

Click here for a larger view of this painting.

Media: Original watercolor on paper
Image Size: 8.25 x 11.5 inches (21 x 29 cm)
Mat/Frame: No
Purchase: Sold


Visit my gallery at Daily Painters Gallery.

Join me on Facebook and follow my blog on NetworkedBlogs.

The original Piazza del Popolo (the People's Square) was completely redesigned and remodeled by architect Giuseppe Valadier in the early 19th century, and today it boasts a huge, beautiful and very popular space in Rome.

Because the redesign was well thought out, many angles from this square offer aesthetically spectacular views.  My favorite is this view of twin churches and an obelisk that was brought from Egypt in 10 BC.  I hope I was able to suggest how immense this place is by placing people and tiny cars in the distance.


Roma, Italia XXX

Click here for a large view of this painting.

Media: Original watercolor on paper
Image Size: 11.5 x 8.25 inches (29 x 21 cm)
Mat/Frame: No
Purchase: Please send me an email for more information.


Visit my gallery at Daily Painters Gallery.

Join me on Facebook and follow my blog on NetworkedBlogs.

- But don't you have to work?

- Work?  No, today's going to be a holiday.

Then Princess Ann and Joe Bradley go on to have all kinds of silly fun in Rome.  The Eternal City.  The City of Fountains.  While Rome looks splendid in all seasons, it shines the best in the summertime.

Starting with this painting of the Fountain of Neptune in the Piazza Navona, I am going to visit (paint) several spots, some depicted in the film Roman Holiday, this week and the next - just to feel as if I was enjoying a wonderful holiday in Rome like Ann and Joe.


Roma, Italia XXIX

A larger image of this painting is available on request.

Media: Original watercolor on paper
Image Size: 8.25 x 11.5 inches (21 x 29 cm)
Mat/Frame: No
Purchase: Please send me an email for more information.


Visit my gallery at Daily Painters Gallery.

Join me on Facebook and follow my blog on NetworkedBlogs.

I am pleased to announce that the 10th of my Journey Home series has been selected to be in the National Watercolor Society's 90th Anniversary Annual Exhibition.

The exhibition will be held in the NWS Gallery in San Pedro, California, October 31 - December 11, 2010.


(update - added on August 24, 2010)
 
This painting has been given the Merwin Altfeld Memorial Award by Christopher Schink, juror of awards.  Also my application for signature membership in NWS has been approved.


Journey Home X

Click here for a large view of this painting.

Media: Original watercolor on paper
Image Size: 21.5 x 14.25 inches (54.5 x 36 cm)
Mat/Frame: Yes
Purchase: Reserved

Please send me an email for more information.


Visit my gallery at Daily Painters Gallery.

Join me on Facebook and follow my blog on NetworkedBlogs.

By the end of June, water has been drawn into rice paddies and seedlings planted in it are growing fast every day.  Originally a tropical plant, rice seems to thrive in the warm, humid climate that prevails in most parts of Japan from June till September.

All over Japan, the rural landscape at this time of the year rapidly changes from the one that looks like a lake district, as water fills paddies, to deep, rich green fields as rice plants get taller and thicker by days.

By October, this countryside in Nara Prefecture as other parts of Japan will look golden when grains bountiful at the tips of rice plants will be ready for harvesting.


Nara Countryside, Japan III

A larger image of this painting is available on request.

Media: Original watercolor on paper
Image Size: 8.25 x 11.5 inches (21 x 29 cm)
Mat/Frame: No
Purchase: Please send me an email for more information.


Visit my gallery at Daily Painters Gallery.

Join me on Facebook and follow my blog on NetworkedBlogs.

"Drinking a daily cup of tea will surely starve the apothecary." -- Chinese Proverb

"Tea is drunk to forget the din of the world."  -- T'ien Yiheng

The first cup moistens my lips and throat;
The second cup breaks my loneliness;
The third cup searches my barren entrail but to find therein some thousand volumes of odd ideographs;
The fourth cup raises a slight perspiration-all the wrongs of life pass out through my pores;
At the fifth cup I am purified;
The sixth cup calls me to the realms of the immortals.
The seventh cup-ah, but I could take no more! I only feel the breath of the cool wind that raises in my sleeves.
Where is Elysium? Let me ride on this sweet breeze and waft away thither.

                                   -- Lu Tong (Chinese poet during Tang Dynasty)


Tea House, Shanghai, China II

Click here for a large view of this painting.

Media: Original watercolor on paper
Image Size: 11.5 x 8.25 inches (29 x 21 cm)
Mat/Frame: No
Purchase: Sold


Visit my gallery at Daily Painters Gallery.

Join me on Facebook and follow my blog on NetworkedBlogs.

After a walk through an overcrowded shopping area in a hot, humid climate, what could be more relaxing than sipping an afternoon tea inside a cool, elegant tea house built over the pond?  This is the city's oldest tea house where textile merchants used to gather back in the 18th century.

They have all kinds of Chinese tea (traditional, flower, herb...) to choose from.  Tea leaves come in a tiny glass pot filled with hot water and can be enjoyed several times over by adding more hot water.  With tea, they usually bring 4 or 5 different kinds of snack food such as quail eggs, flavored flat tofu and sweet rice cakes.

Price of a pot of tea may be 10 times more than a store-bought bottled tea, but the experience in such a beautiful setting was well worth it.


Tea House, Shanghai, China I

Click here for a large view of this painting.

Media: Original watercolor on paper
Image Size: 8.25 x 11.5 inches (21 x 29 cm)
Mat/Frame: No
Purchase: Sold


Visit my gallery at Daily Painters Gallery.

Join me on Facebook and follow my blog on NetworkedBlogs.

Through the steam coming out of stacks of bamboo baskets, cooks were seen busily moving about to make their signature dumplings - thousands of them a day, I'm sure, to meet a huge demand.  They had no time to rest as a long line of hungry people waiting eagerly to get the authentic Shanghai-style Xiaolongbao didn't seem to get short any time soon.

Xiaolongbao, steamed dumplings filled with meat and scrumptious soup, is what many people actually travel to this corner of the Old Shanghai for.  I very much enjoyed not only my first taste of this delicacy but also the sight of a busy kitchen where it was made.  Just as I knew I had to try it the minute I smelled this famous food, I knew I had to paint this interior scene the instant I saw it.


Yuyuan, Shanghai, China III

Click here for a large view of this painting.

Media: Original watercolor on paper
Image Size: 8.25 x 11.5 inches (21 x 29 cm)
Mat/Frame: No
Purchase: Sold


Visit my gallery at Daily Painters Gallery.

Join me on Facebook and follow my blog on NetworkedBlogs.

After walking through very crowded shopping streets to reach the Yuyuan Garden (built during the Ming Dynasty), I stopped for a minute just outside of its gate.  That's when I spotted this lone boat floating on a small pond between pavilions built in the water.

On nearby streets, I had been treated with a parade of sights of souvenirs, trinkets, snack food, etc. that came in all kinds of colors, sizes, and shapes.  To digest the huge volume of visual input, I now wanted to find something simple and calm to rest my eyes on.  Seeing ripples around the wooden boat was just perfect for me.


Yuyuan, Shanghai, China II

A larger image of this painting is available on request.

Media: Original watercolor on paper
Image Size: 8.25 x 11.5 inches (21 x 29 cm)
Mat/Frame: No
Purchase: Please send me an email for more information.


Visit my gallery at Daily Painters Gallery.

Join me on Facebook and follow my blog on NetworkedBlogs.

Many visitors to Shanghai, China first find themselves walking on a crowded street near the Yuyuan Gardens, a must-see fine Chinese garden.  An area around the Gardens is a bazaar that looks like a paradise for shoppers and people-watchers alike.  As is often the case with such places, it is a bit too touristy, but all the elements - colors, buildings, sound, smell, atmosphere, etc. - reflect what the Old Shanghai looked like.

I was in Shanghai last week to visit the Zhujiajiao International Watercolor Biennial Exhibition.  I uploaded some photos of the exhibit and the village of Zhujiajiao to one of my Facebook albums.  Please take a look!


Yuyuan, Shanghai, China I

A larger image of this painting is available on request.

Media: Original watercolor on paper
Image Size: 8.25 x 11.5 inches (21 x 29 cm)
Mat/Frame: No
Purchase: Sold


Visit my gallery at Daily Painters Gallery.

Join me on Facebook and follow my blog on NetworkedBlogs.