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 I am going on a pilgrimage, this journey is not purely for a religious reason but more for a personal one.  I wanted to come back to a place that helped me decide to stay on a journey as a painter.

Back in 2005, I was painting day in and day out various cityscapes and landscapes, struggling to find a way to create works that could tell my stories and convey my feelings.  Doing this for almost a year without any satisfactory results was discouraging, to say the least.

As a beginning watercolorist, I knew I lacked skills to execute such a painting but a goal for me was to produce a painting "from the heart" rather than a technically good one.  Inspired by a spiritual trip to Eiheiji a year before, I did a series of paintings of that experience at the end of 2005 and the beginning of 2006.  I don't know how I did it differently but I was able to feel my emotional involvement in those paintings for the first time.  So I am here again to say thank-you for the encouragement that I needed desparately.

Road to Eiheiji Temple, Fukui, Japan VIII

Click here for an enlarged view.

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.

Road to Eiheiji Temple, Japan VI

Road to Eiheiji Temple, Japan VII

Road to Eiheiji Temple, Fukui, Japan VI

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

Road to Eiheiji Temple, Fukui, Japan VII

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.