Gareth Naylor

Atmospheric paintings of Japan

Category: Paintings of the Japanese countryside

  • Painting a beautiful panoramic view from the top of a hill

    Painting a beautiful panoramic view from the top of a hill

    I’m not sure when I painted this picture.

    But I know this is an old painting.

    I painted it on a spiral-bound pad.

    And I painted over two sheets of paper so that I could do a huge panoramic painting that matched the view I experienced on that hill.

    I have since pulled both sheets out of the pad.

    So now the painting exists as two separate parts. 

    When I took a photograph of this painting I decided to photograph each part of the painting separately. 

    Then I put the two parts together in a photo-editing app.

    This is why there is a line down the middle of the painting. 

    But I find that line quite interesting. 

    As you can see both sides don’t completely line up but it is good enough for me.

    I can still remember going up this hill which is in a place called Akeno and my feeling of delight upon finding this wonderful view.

    And I remember being very happy with the results.

    I’m surprised it was a successful painting because I often struggled in those days with watercolor painting.

    Also this was a large sized painting and it’s normally harder to paint on a large size.

    Of course, sometimes you get a watercolor painting that is successful on the first attempt.

    But that is very rare.

    I think this painting could be classed as one of them.

    But I also think part of the reason for my success with this painting was that I felt inspired by the scene.

    In my opinion, being inspired increases the chances of making a good painting.

    I haven’t visited this place since, even though it is quite near my house.

    I would have to go up a steep hill, perhaps that has deterred me.

    And perhaps it is because I didn’t think I could do a better painting than this one.

    To be honest, though, I have no idea why I didn’t go again.

    Like most things in life, it remains a mystery to me.

    That’s all,

    Gareth.

  • Painting of a utility pole in the Japanese countryside

    Painting of a utility pole in the Japanese countryside

    This is an old painting. 

    I painted it on the spot around 2010. 

    This countryside path is in a region called Wasada. 

    It is on the outskirts of Oita city. 

    I found this place by chance during one of my bicycle painting adventures. 

    At that time, I would cycle all over the local countryside looking for beautiful places to paint.

    If I couldn’t find beautiful places to paint then I would look for interesting places or subjects.

    And I vividly remember coming across the scene in the painting above and thinking that the utility looked very interesting.

    I know utility poles are not very beautiful.

    But when you start looking at things like utility poles as shapes then you see possibilities.

    And in this painting the arrangement of shapes, including the utility pole, are very good.

    The arrangement of shapes means the composition.

    There are weaknesses in this painting.

    The second utility pole in the distance is too thin and fragile looking.

    Another weakness is the  foliage.

    The foliage looks too messy and overcomplicated. 

    It needs to be simplified.

    Also the pattern of the shadowy areas in the foliage needs to be improved.

    This painting was done on wood pulp paper.

    It is very difficult to get soft gradations of dark areas on this type of paper.

    That is why the shadowy areas of the foliage look stuck on.

    Despite these weaknesses, I consider this painting a success.

    I think the main reason is the strong composition.

    And also, the big utility pole, which makes this an interesting painting.

    Finally, I like this painting because it has sentimental value for me.

    It reminds me of the excitement of my bicycle painting adventures.

    That’s all,

    Gareth.

  • Painting of a beautiful emerald green rice field

    Painting of a beautiful emerald green rice field

    I’m writing this story in February of 2021. 

    But this story actually happened around the spring of 2010.

    It is one of my older stories.

    With that said, let’s begin.

    So I’m a little romantic.

    Or maybe I’m just stupid.

    I remember once looking at a girl’s neck and saying how it looked “swan like”.

    Everybody erupted in laughter.

    I was so embarrassed.

    But the truth was that it did look swan-like.

    But anyway this is a blog about one of my romantic painting trips into the Japanese countryside.

    I think this is also perhaps as laughable as the comment I made about that girl’s neck.

    I should have been doing a sensible and useful job and making money.

    Instead, I was getting on a bicycle and cycling off into the Japanese countryside to look for adventure and a beautiful scene.

    How foolish can you be?

    But, anyway, on this occasion, I got both an adventure and a beautiful scene.

    So I was following a very long and wide river called Ono river.

    Rivers are the best places to cycle next to in Japan because the ground is usually flat.

    The path, though, can sometimes suddenly disappear.

    Especially if you cycle along it for miles and miles.

    I’ve often experienced this but part of the fun is seeing how far you can cycle by a river.

    And that was part of the enjoyment of cycling by Ono river.

    At first this river was very pleasant to cycle along.

    There is a smooth path and next to it are rice fields and it’s all very hospitable.

    But at a certain point the landscape becomes more rugged and rocky.

    And then you find yourself cycling along a very quiet, more neglected, path that you know very few people use.

    I think it was a road but it was as narrow as a path.

    And the sides of the river were no longer grassy banks but dramatic rocky cliffs.

    At a certain point, I came across a big steel bridge spanning the river with a chain across its entrance.

    There was a sign on the chain saying that you are not allowed to cross it.

    Once again, as I often experienced when cycling in Japan, I felt myself in a forgotten place.

    And then the road was cutting through the side of a rock and there were rivulets of water running down the side and forming pools of water in the middle of the road.

    It had become a spooky road but also interesting.

    And then suddenly I came upon the scene in the painting above.

    It looked like a dazzlingly green rice field.

    The picture above is a watercolor sketch that I did on the spot.

    I used to take all my paint gear with me in those days.

    I wish I still had that kind of energy.

    At that time I felt indestructible.

    Anyway, I was at that time really happy with the painting I did.

    I felt that it captured that dazzlingly green color of the rice.

    Now, I don’t think it’s so great.

    I did a studio painting from this sketch.

    And I sold that painting.

    But sadly, now I only have one blurry image of the studio painting to show you. 

    I was hesitant about showing this bad image.

    If possible I want to show only good images on my website.

    Perhaps that’s vanity. 

    Anyway, I decided to show you because I thought you might find it interesting.

    So here it is.

    Watercolor painting of a beautiful green rice field
    “Emerald green rice field’

    Sayonara for now,

    Gareth.

  • An old watercolor painting of mountains in Aso

    An old watercolor painting of mountains in Aso

    This area is called Aso.

    It is in Kumamoto prefecture.

    The view in the painting is from the top of a mountain. 

    The top of the mountain is a strange place because it has lots of little hills.

    And sometimes, there are even farmers’ fields.

    These fields look a little like the rolling fields in England.

    Aso is famous for its caldera which is a ring of mountains.

    And the mountains in the painting are part of this enormous ring.

    What I love about this place and which you can see in the painting are the many lines of mountain ridges one after the other receding into the distance.

    I’ve had this painting for a long time. 

    I think I painted it around 2005 but I can no longer remember the actual year or even the trip. 

    I have since been to this place quite a few times and every time I go there I feel refreshed by the spectacular view.

    Gareth.

  • Watercolor sketch of rocks on a mountain

    Watercolor sketch of rocks on a mountain

    I painted this watercolor sketch a long time ago. 

    I think around 2005 but that is just a very hazy guess.

    I had climbed up a mountain called Kuju in Oita prefecture and it had inspired me to do a painting of a mountain scene. 

    I think it was my first attempt to paint a mountain. 

    Or at the very least, it was my first attempt to paint a mountain that I had actually climbed up and taken some photos of.

    It was quite an intimidating subject for me to paint. 

    So I did a watercolor sketch to begin with before I began on the actual painting as practice. 

    It would also hopefully improve my skills a little too.

    Ironically, this rough watercolor sketch turned out better than the final painting.

     And I have long since thrown away that final painting but kept this initial watercolor sketch.

    I wish though that this sketch didn’t have that patch of green in the upper part of the picture.

    I left it though because it’s just a sketch and if I tried to remove it I might spoil the painting.

    For a long time I was so pleased with this sketch and that’s why I have kept it. 

    However, I can’t say that I like this sketch anymore.

    I keep it now though as a record and perhaps also for nostalgic value.

    That’s all for now,

    Gareth.