Blog

The air is hot and sticky.  The late afternoon sky often threatens thunderstorms.  With each passing day it gets more unbearable to stay indoors without an air-conditioner as the temperature soars.  Outside ladies are walking with higasa (parasols) and in yukatas, more casual summertime kimonos.

In quiet back streets, the sound of wind chimes brings back childhood memories.  Traditional Japanese confectioneries around town are displaying minazuki, triangular-shaped sweets eaten only in June.  And people crave for hamo (pike eel), a seasonal delicacy popular in the western part of Japan.  And, this muggy weather sends me to my favorite tea room for big scoops of green-tea ice cream.  Welcome to the summer in Kyoto.  I am home.

Road to Kiyomizedera Temple, Kyoto, Japan II

Media: Original watercolor on paper
Image Size: 14.25 x 21.5 inches (36 x 54.5 cm)
Frame/Mat: No

Purchase: Temporarily unavailable.  Please send me an email for details.

- 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

A small alley in the back of the Sacré-Cœur Basilica was surprisingly quiet, and it was a welcome respite from the hustle and bustle of the animated Montmartre village.  The area surrounding the church is perhaps the most touristy in the butte Montmartre.  From the stairs leading up to the church to the nearby Place du Tertre square, there are many camera-toting tourists and vendors selling all kinds of gadgets and trinkets.  Add to the mix scores of artists who want to make a portrait of you as a souvenir, and you can imagine a vibrant street scene that's always there.  In fact, within one block I was asked by three portrait artists if I wanted to sit for a session and they wouldn't take no for an answer.  I did feel a little sympathetic, to be honest, as I understand what it's like to make a living as a painter.

Sacré-Cœur Basilica, Paris II

Click here for an enlarged view of this painting.

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

Purchase: Sold

- Join me on Facebook and follow my blog on NetworkedBlogs.
- Visit my gallery at Daily Paintworks.

On the coat of arms of Paris is a silver vessel that sails on the rough waters.  We may not see a ship like this from the Middle Ages on the Seine River any more, but the importance of the river in trade and transportation hasn't changed throughout Paris' history.

Le Petit Pont (The Small Bridge), connecting the the Île de la Cité and the Left Bank, is one of the first bridges built over the Seine when Paris was still called Lutetia in the Gallo-Roman era.  It was a wooden bridge back then and served as a strong fortress protecting the city.  It was swept away due to flooding of the river or design flaws many times, each time replaced by a new one.  Standing on the quay, looking up, I tired to imagine the old days when the river was not tamed and overflowing was common... and all the houses stacked up on it.  That would have been an interesting sight.  The current single stone arch bridge was built in 1853.

La Seine, Paris, France II (Le Petit Pont)

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)
Frame/Mat: No

Purchase: Sold

I was mentioned or featured in several art publications recently.  Professional Artist magazine just published an article on how artists supported Japanese disaster relief efforts by raising money from their art ("Artists Raise $30,000 Online for Japanese Tsunami Survivors" by Byron Kerman, July/August 2011 issue).  I was interviewed for the article and my artwork is also featured in it.

I was delighted that San Diego Talent Magazine did a feature article on me last month.  I was also pleased to see my name come up in one of the recent posts, entitled "Your favourite watercolour painters," in Katherine Tyrrell's popular Making a Mark blog.

I'd like to take this opportunity to express my appreciation to those who chose to write about me or my work (My special thank-you to Byron and Katherine!).

Oceanside Harbor, San Diego, California I

Click here for an enlarged view of this painting.

Media: Original watercolor on paper
Image Size: 14.25 x 21.5 inches (36 x 54.5 cm)
Frame/Mat: No

Purchase: Donated

There are two Paris must-do's that I haven't done yet despite numerous visits there over the years - a cruise on the Seine and the Eiffel Tower.  It may be that a part of me thinks they are just too touristy so I keep avoiding but another part of me, I admit, wonders if I'm missing out on a lot.  I always walk down to the water's edge or cross some of the bridges to enjoy watching people along the quays and boats traveling up and down the river.

I just love being part of the scene that is full of life and history while contemplating many painting possibilities.  What is also attractive to me is that any urban landscape painting involving the Seine adds a meditative quality to it.  So maybe it won't be such a bad idea to hop on one of these boats next time to see this enchanting city from a completely new perspective.

La Seine, Paris, France I

Click here for an enlarged view of this painting.

Media: Original watercolor on paper
Image Size: 11.5 x 15.5 inches (29 x 39 cm)
Frame/Mat: No

Purchase: Please send me an email for details.