Atmospheric paintings of Japan

Tag: 2014

Watercolor paintings of scenes around a Japanese castle

During 2014 I did a lot of paintings around Oita castle. I should add that there is no actual castle remaining. There is though a moat and some beautiful castle walls. There is also a garden within the castle grounds. And these are all in good condition.

The painting above shows one of my favorite views around the castle. It is a busy street next to the castle wall. In this painting you can’t see the road on the left because of the bushes and trees. On the right is a concrete and steel fence. On the other side of this fence, but you can’t see in this painting, is the moat.

And next to the moat is the castle wall. You can see the guard tower on the corner of the castle wall.

I have to confess that at first I didn’t like the concrete and steel fence. It is a big and blocky structure and I thought it extremely ugly.

However, I noticed that by viewing it from a sharp angle it creates a beautiful pattern that leads the eye of the viewer into the painting. They have since removed this fence and put up a very thin metal one.

I should also add that the people at city hall decided to put up a 2d image of the main castle building with scaffolding and lights. They probably wish to reconstruct the main castle building but don’t have the finances so this is their alternative solution. I don’t think anybody is very impressed. But it is interesting to look at when it is illuminated at night. It makes you laugh. So maybe it’s not so bad.

The painting above is my favorite one from this viewpoint. I love the contrast of orange and green in the top left hand corner of this painting and how I got them so close together. I also like the long dramatic evening shadows.

Here are some more paintings from this viewpoint. They are very dramatic and moody evening scenes and I am delighted with them. In these paintings I chose a portrait format. This long vertical format emphasizes the strong verticals in the image such as the tall buildings and the long evening shadows as well as the near vertical lines of the moat wall and the greenery next to the road.

I particularly like the extremely long shadows of the figures in these paintings.

“Long evening shadows by the castle 1”

“Long evening shadows by Oita castle 2”

“Long evening shadows by Oita castle 3”

“Long evening shadows by Oita castle 4”

The following paintings are of the same viewpoint but with a landscape format. They are a little tamer, perhaps normal would be a better word, than the previous paintings. However, I still think they are quite nice paintings.

“Beautiful evening walk by the castle”

I like the foliage in this painting and the warm, relaxing mood.

“Walking by the castle”

In this painting, the big and blocky fence makes an interesting pattern. It also helps to give a wonderful contrast of light against the dark castle wall.

“Blue sky walk by the castle”

This painting captures something of the beautiful blue sky day when you just really want to get outside and walk. I love how well I have painted the trees in this painting, they seem to have an energy to them.

“Walk under the fir trees by the castle”

I’m not sure if this painting is so good. I think I might paint this one again in the future as I think the composition is good but other parts of the painting need improving.

“Cherry blossom by the castle”

And here is the new viewpoint if you turn and look in the opposite direction. You can see the Cherry blossom trees in the distance. That is around the area which I call the picnic area.

Quiet side street by the castle

“Quiet side street by the castle 1”

This is another street by the castle. The atmosphere here is much more peaceful. And there is a line of beautiful fir trees down the middle of the road. On blue sky summer days, these fir trees cast large shadows across the street. In this painting I wanted to emphasize the beautiful green glow of these trees and the cool purple shadows they cast.

“Quiet side street by the castle 2”

This is the same street but from the opposite side of the road. Although this painting is a little rough I think it has energy. I really like the brilliance of the light in this one. And I think the trees are well done.

Castle moat scenes

I tried to paint a picture that showed mostly the moat. To be honest, the moat didn’t look so beautiful in normal lighting conditions. So I tried to turn this scene into a semi-abstract work with very dramatic evening light. I wanted to imbue the image with a feeling of beauty and mystery.

It was quite a challenge and when I originally painted this picture I thought it was a failure. But now I think this painting is very good.

“Evening light and shadows by the moat 1”

This second painting is the original painting but cropped into a horizontal format. Sometimes I find it very interesting and fun to crop a picture.

“Evening light and shadows by the moat 2”

And here is one more painting from this viewpoint.

“Evening light and shadows by the moat 3”

Viewpoint inside the castle grounds

“Walk around the castle grounds 1”

This is one of my favorite viewpoints from within the castle grounds. I just love the arrangement of shapes here. And luckily this painting turned out particularly well.

“Walk around the castle grounds 2”

And here is another painting from the same viewpoint but this time with a slightly darker and moodier atmosphere. I also like this one.

“The castle moat 1”

And here is a more expansive view of the moat.

I perhaps went a little too moody with this one. And, to be honest, I was hesitant about adding this painting because I’m not sure it is completely successful. However, another part of me thinks there is something very special about this painting. I definitely was experimenting when I did this one. I wanted to create a moodier and more abstract image. I did this by having intense light that destroys the clear forms of individual objects. Instead, the individual objects merge together. At least to a certain extent. But I don’t want to go too abstract. I think the final result is quite beautiful and has a feeling of mellow mysteriousness.

I’m also very happy with the rough sparkle effect across the surface of the moat.

“The castle moat 2”

Here is another painting from the same viewpoint. Here the light is less intense. And also, this one is cooler. I was also hesitant about adding this one. I eventually decided to add it though because it is interesting. Also, I thought it was a good idea to add it as an interesting comparison with the previous painting. Whether it is a successful painting though, I’m not sure. Perhaps it is a brave step towards a successful painting.

Picnic area by the castle

“Stroll by the castle”

And this is another one of my favorite viewpoints within the castle grounds.

One of the main reasons I like this area is because there is a bench and so I can sit and paint in relative comfort.

It’s also a place with a good view of people walking past. People are a very fun subject to paint. And I’ve done a lot of paintings from this viewpoint of figures strolling past.

I have to confess though it’s not the most exciting viewpoint. And there is the danger with this scene that the horizontal line of trees acts as a barrier which stops the eye from going further into the painting.

Cherry blossom

All those trees by the way are Cherry trees. And I have done many paintings in Spring of the Cherry blossom from this viewpoint.

“Family reunion in the long evening shadows of the Cherry blossom trees”

I am very happy with this painting. I like my attempt to capture the appearance of the Cherry blossom at late evening time with the sun being low in the sky and with the Cherry blossom trees casting long shadows across this wide area.

I also like that this painting tells a story. Here we have a father who is meeting his wife and son by the Cherry blossom trees after a busy day’s work.

“Barbecue smoke and Cherry blossoms”

Japanese people are crazy about the Cherry blossoms. And during this season many people come to this area to have picnics and barbecues whilst looking at the Cherry blossoms.

I like the light and delicacy of this particular painting.

City view

“Retreat from the city”

From this viewpoint you can see the castle guard tower on the corner but behind it you can see the surrounding modern buildings. I like to paint this contrast between the old and the new.

“Stroll by the Cherry blossom on a beautiful spring day”

Here is another painting from the same viewpoint but in this one the buildings are much more clearly defined. I love the textures in this painting.

“Refreshing walk by the Cherry blossom trees”

And here is one more painting from the same viewpoint.

Statue

“Cherry blossom by a Japanese castle”

In this picnic area there is also a statue. I like this statue a lot and on one occasion did this painting of it. When I painted this picture I was standing right next to the bus stop and sometimes people would stop and give me a compliment.

You can read about my experiences painting these Cherry blossom scenes here.

That’s all for now

That’s all the paintings I’ve done so far. Most of these paintings were done in 2014. I did a lot of paintings around the castle around that time.

Some of these paintings are for sale at my gallery shop which you can see by clicking here.

Gareth.

April 29, 2022
Watercolor painting of a rough sea scene

This week I went to the sea. It’s only a ten minute bicycle ride from my house.

I didn’t know how it would go though as it was one of those hit or miss days when the sky is very cloudy and dramatic which would be wonderful to paint and yet there is a big chance that at any moment it will rain and I’d have to quit painting and go home.

Luckily it didn’t rain.

But it was very windy and I almost lost a paint brush as my brushes started rolling off the sea wall.

But what an amazing experience to watch big waves crashing against the sea wall and feel the refreshing touch of sea spray on my face.

I did three paintings but the one I’m showing here is my favorite.

It’s almost a monotone painting with just a touch of light blue in the sky. And as I look at how powerful this small touch of color is in a monotone painting it makes me think that I should perhaps do more monotone paintings with a touch of one color in them. Never ignore your creative voice.

With the mountain I added some water to the top of it to soften that sharp edge and I think it gives it a more atmospheric and powerful feeling.

I also think some chance things went well in this painting and they might be hard for me to replicate such as the way I softened the mountain edge and the pattern of sparkles on the sea.

What I’m trying to say is that this painting is a one off.

Admittedly, it’s a bit of a rough painting but at the same time it captures so well the energy of the moment.

While I was painting this scene, I saw incredible light effects happening as the sun moved between the clouds. At times there was a thin horizontal strip of light across the sea which changed from a brilliant bright white to a murky orange green and then the sun would burst out even more and so powerfully that I had a vertical line of sparkling light coming towards me across the surface of the sea that made everything else dark. I didn’t try to capture such moments because they were so fleeting and so overwhelmingly powerful.

I should perhaps have added a ship as a focal point but I think the painting works well enough just as it is.

That’s all for now, Gareth.

Postscript

This story was originally written in August of 2014. I am editing it in 2022.

As I was looking at this painting and what I wrote, it made me think that I have to get out and paint more. Over the course of the last few years I’ve lost that get up and get out artistic drive I had.

Instead, I’ve retreated to the studio. And although I’ve done some great things in the studio, there is a special energy that you can sometimes capture in your artwork when you paint outdoors and I think this painting is one where I caught that special energy.

This painting also confirms something that I’ve been thinking about recently which is that the divine lies not in the perfect but in the imperfect. This is not, as I wrote, a perfect painting, it is in many ways very rough, but it caught something special and is probably a one off that I’ll never be able to replicate exactly. And I don’t say this to sell the work because it has already been sold.

It was one of those rare creations that sold pretty quickly. If only they were all like that.

April 19, 2022
Watercolor painting of a giant column of clouds

These spectacular cloud formations are one of the positive side-effects of the heat and humidity in a Japanese summer.

During this season I wake up in the morning feeling 90 rather than 43. I have a dry throat and I feel weak, tired and too hot. I start feeling better about six or seven in the evening.

And that’s not so bad. Some years I have felt like I’m dying during this season.

But let’s talk about these spectacular cloud formations. They are called nyuudougumo in Japanese. I know, it’s a bit of a mouthful.

I’ve wanted to paint a nyuudougumo for a while. They are so beautiful. And eventually about a week or so ago I saw this spectacularly colorful one by the river.

It was a real challenge to paint this though, especially the beautiful bright edge of the clouds. I tended to paint too many cloud shadows and thus not leave enough light areas. Trying to paint less rather than more is surprisingly difficult.

And this painting was preceded by many that did not make it!

But these attempts helped me, through trial and error, to finally achieve a good result. I say that just to let you know that these paintings don’t always magically appear from the first attempt.

And just in case you are interested these are the Chinese characters for nyuudougumo: 入道雲; the three characters respectively mean: enter/ join, road, cloud. So a ‘poetic’ description might be: “the road of joining clouds”.

That’s all for now except to say that if you are also hot then try, like me, to enjoy the wonderful cloud formations that the heat makes.

Oh, I forgot to ask, can you see the birdie? My oldest daughter always notices them.

And I will just add that I really enjoyed painting that river. It’s interesting to me how I have spent so many years struggling to paint sparkling seas and rivers and that now it comes fairly effortlessly.

That’s all,

Gareth.

Postscript

I originally wrote this story in August of 2014. I am editing it in 2022.

I should add that not long after I painted this picture, I sold it to a man in Germany.

Also, even after 8 years I am still very happy with this painting.

And finally, I don’t know why, but I haven’t painted any Nyuudogumo since. Hopefully I will do so again at some point in the near future.

April 18, 2022
Watercolor paintings of my local Japanese river which I did in 2014

“Beautiful evening sky by the river”

I often go to my local river. It is called Oita river. And it is only a few minutes from my house.

This river provides a wonderful choice of painting subjects as well as being a wonderful place for painting sunrises and sunsets.

And in 2014 I painted many pictures of this river.

My favorite viewpoint

The painting above shows my favorite view of the river. Here are two more paintings I did from the same viewpoint.

“Golden sunlight sparkles across the river”

This viewpoint is particularly good for painting dramatic skies as well as sunrises and sunsets.

Also, from this viewpoint, the figures look very dark and dramatic as they contrast strongly with the bright sparkle of the river.

“Peaceful, evening walk by the river”

In this painting, I love the soft wispy clouds and faint touches of rose in the evening sky. The sky imbues this scene with a feeling of beauty and peacefulness.

Below is a different viewpoint of the river that I often find more challenging to paint but on this occasion worked out very well.

“Morning fisherman walking home”

I particularly like the bright colors of the trees in this painting and the delicate texture of the grass.

Bridges

There are many bridges across this river and although none of them are particularly beautiful I find them an interesting subject to paint.

“Friends fishing by the river”

In this painting of a bridge, I like the fishermen in the foreground. I often see them by the bridge and they help to make this scene much more alive and interesting.

“Fishermen gathering by the bridge”

I also like the dramatic shadows that the bridge casts and I do my best to emphasize that feature in this painting. And once again the fishermen help to make this scene more alive and interesting.

“Beautiful reflection of the sky upon the surface of the river”

And this painting shows the view from the top of a bridge. On this occasion, there was a beautiful reflection of the sky upon the surface of the river.

Embankment

One of the things I least like about the river is the artificial embankment. Nearly all Japanese rivers have them.

I have done my best though to turn the embankment into something interesting and even beautiful.

I think I’ve done a pretty good job of that. And I think this challenging subject has turned me into a better artist and led to some very interesting paintings.

“Stroll by the river on a sunny and misty day”

“Stroll by the river on a sunny and misty day”

Anecdote

An extra attraction of the river other than as a painting subject is some of the joggers I see there and their unhealthy pursuit of health.

And here is something I wrote about them in July of 2014.

It was hot and humid and there were people jogging past me who were desperately gasping for air.

I felt like telling them to stop and just walk. It would probably be healthier for them.

Besides what if they suddenly collapse from a heart attack. Then I’d have to try and do CPR and this would be extremely stressful for me as I can never remember the ratio of breaths to chest presses.

However, the gaspers are not the strangest kind of jogger. This spot is reserved for the sweaters.

This kind of jogger puts on a lot of clothing despite the heat. And I saw one such person today. He was wearing a jacket in summer in Japan and he was soaked in sweat. I saw quite clearly drops of water running down his hands and hanging from his fingertips.

And there is one jogger I occasionally see who is the champion sweater because he wears a full tracksuit – all black of course – and a hood up so that you can’t even see his face.

I have to add that these people are not fat either.

Of course, being an artist and hoping to become successful from it is perhaps one of the maddest pursuits of all.

That’s all, Gareth.

Postscript

I originally wrote this anecdotal story in July of 2014, I am editing it in 2022.

Sadly it has no painting to go with it. But when I saw how many paintings I’d painted of my local river during that year then I had the idea of showing those paintings as a series and adding on this story at the end.

April 14, 2022
A wonderful day at the beach

I was running like a maniac at the sea and falling into the high waves and it was wonderful. I did it again and again.

Then I ran into the sea and dived into the waves.

And then I floated in the sea. I discovered that I float very well. And the feeling of the waves lifting me up was wonderful. I closed my eyes to fully enjoy the sensation.

It was therapeutic, more importantly it was a chance to be silly and play.

I couldn’t remember when I last did this. Has it been so long?

This was at Sumiyoshihama beach and the second part of my story about a family trip to Kitsuki. The first part of my story was about painting Kitsuki estuary and encountering a water rat.

While at the beach, I managed to do a painting. In fact, I normally always manage to do a painting.

But at first it wasn’t easy to find a scene to paint. I walked about 2 kilometers in hot weather with all my gear looking for a scene to paint. I ended up returning to my original starting point and finding a scene there.

There were some young men on the beach. They were bare-chested. And I liked the contrast between their pale bodies and the dark green background of the trees. Also the skin color and beach color were almost the same which made for a wonderful composition. Furthermore, they made a great focal point.

The family also had a really good time. They went shopping while I was walking around looking for a scene to paint.

Women just love to shop and they always seem to find a chance to do so.

But I have to add that my daughter looked so cute in her new bikini. In fact, they all looked rather nice in their new bathing costumes.

I’m quite happy with the painting above that I did of the beach. I think the beach, with the lovely gradation and texture, is the best part of the painting.

And the figures are pretty good too. Sometimes my figures look too similar. Whereas here there is some variety with some figures being a little stocky and some being a little thin.

Sadly, the trees are merely passable and perhaps the best I could do on such a hot day when the paint dries quickly in the sunlight.

Below are three more paintings I did of this beach. There are some beautiful beaches around this area.

“Figures on a beautiful sandy beach”

In the painting above, I love the contrast between the white house and the dark green trees behind. I also liked this viewpoint of looking from the sea towards the beach.

“Beach stroll”

“Taking a dip”

In these paintings, it was really fun to paint the figures and have them doing all kinds of different things.

You can read the first part of this trip here.

That’s all for now, Gareth.

Postscript

This story was originally written in July of 2014. I am editing it in 2022. This story needed very little editing.

April 11, 2022
Meeting a water rat while painting Kitsuki estuary

“Estuary by Kitsuki castle”

Today was “Marine Day”. It’s called “umi-no-hi” in Japanese and it’s a national holiday.

And we, the family, even went to the beach and it was wonderful.

But before we came to the beach we stopped the car on route and the family had a sleeping break. While they slept I got out of the car and did a painting.

We had parked next to an estuary in a small Japanese town called Kitsuki. I have painted this estuary a few times. To get a view of the estuary I had to climb over a fairly high sea wall. But when I did I found a very nice scene to paint.

When the tide is low you can see a lot of sandbanks and fishing boats which makes for a more interesting scene. But the tide was high and there was only one sandbank. It was an enormous sandbank. And there was only one fishing boat so it was a bit of an empty looking scene.

It was while I was painting this picture, and enduring the smell of rotting fish or worse, that a rat (in Japanese they might say “dobunezumi” which I think means water or gutter rat) suddenly appeared and it was running directly towards me.

It was ridiculous, but I was suddenly gripped by fears of being bitten and catching the Bubonic plague as this seemingly mad rat looked like it was charging at me with the intention to bite me. I am a city person and have no idea about the nature of rats.

I was also thinking that I might be the first person to ever get the Bubonic plague in Japan, who knows?

But my sudden movement as I rose, startled it and it did a ninety degree turn and went towards the sea. It came to the 2 meter high edge of the sea wall and did a bold leap off, went far through the air and ended the feat with a clean dive into the water. Then it swam (I think about as fast as I can) under the water. Then it came up to the surface near some rocks and started exploring around there.

Later it came back and ran past me without much fear. I think it realized that I wasn’t anything to worry about.

Despite an aversion to rats it moved with such beauty and speed that it was a mesmerizing delight to watch and it could even swim wonderfully well. In fact, it was kind of cute.

However, to return to the point, which is the painting.

I was lucky that there was a fishing boat present as this became the focal point for the whole painting.

I am, though, a little disappointed with the sea. It was a hot day and when I painted the sea it dried quicker than I expected. Luckily, I managed to salvage it with some dry brush strokes.

I should add that the building in the middle of the picture and on top of the hill is a Kitsuki castle. The position of this castle within the landscape is perfect and I’m sure that even John Ruskin would have enjoyed the sight of it.

Here is another painting of this estuary. It has no story to go with it, so by putting it here it feels like giving a stray dog a home.

“Fishing boat in Kitsuki estuary”

And here is one more painting that is around this area. I am very happy with this one but it also has no story to go with it.

“Beach in Kitsuki”

I have so many stray paintings. I wish that I’d learned to write about my painting adventures more and to have not been completely obsessed with just the painting. But it is what it is and I’ll make the best of what it is.

You can read part two of this trip to Kitsuki here.

Gareth.

Postscript

This story was originally written in July of 2014. I’m editing it in 2022.

I probably shouldn’t have done it but I threw away the original painting that I talk about in this story.

That is why you are getting the rather poor image above that is a blown up copy from the small image I found on my computer.

Every artist has to throw away some paintings otherwise it becomes overwhelming. I threw away about half of my paintings.

And, to be honest, I wasn’t very happy with this painting.

But after reading this story I wish that I’d kept it for the sake of the story. Alas.

April 8, 2022
Painting the artificial river banks of Japan

“Evening walk along the river bank”

Perhaps the first thing any landscape artist should learn is to take advantage of whatever is there even if it appears ugly.

For instance, because Japanese rivers are subject to flooding nearly all the main rivers here have an artificial bank on either side of them. Sometimes this is a grassy bank and sometimes it’s a concrete wall.

I was so upset when I first saw these artificial banks. Yes, I can understand their necessity, but they are so ugly, especially the concrete ones.

These banks also stop the viewer from seeing the exciting vista on the other side of the river. In other words, when you paint these river banks you might as well be painting a big stop sign.

Then about a year ago I realized that the grassy banks made for an interesting view when looked at from below. And sometimes the figures on the top of the bank could appear quite dramatic with the right kind of background sky.

I did a few paintings of scenes like that last year and today in my studio I just decided to do another one but this time with a very warm sky. The painting above is the result.

When I first painted that sky though I was a little alarmed because I thought it was too strong. I think I’m a bit of a heavy handed watercolor painter meaning that I paint a little on the thick side.

Yet when I added the foreground tree and bank then I thought that the sky was actually quite successful.

I’m happy to say that I sold this painting.

And here is another painting I did of the river bank at about this time but this one is a bit of a cooler version.

“Evening stroll along the river bank”

That’s all,

Gareth.

Postscript

I originally wrote this story in July of 2014. I edited it in 2022. This story needed very little editing.

I would add though that I guess the message of this story is to not stop because of problems but instead to start looking at those problems from different angles and in such a way they can become new creative frontiers.

What an irony that an obstacle instead of stopping you can become a new path with a new horizon. I’m not sure such a concept translates to all fields, but it certainly does in art and I think it is well worth applying it in other fields too.

April 5, 2022
When you paint outdoors you never paint alone

So today I went to paint by the river.

When you paint outdoors you never paint alone. There’s always something that happens. Often some kind of annoyance or discomfort.

It could be a freezing cold wind or it could be an insect such as a mosquito or little flies that want to explore your nostrils. And of course there are always people.

Most people are okay but some are strange.

Today I had a boy cycling around me while I was painting. He was making a circuit with me at the center.

I admit that I felt a little irritated by this. Well, I’m quite an irritable person to be honest. But I also know that you can never be sure about people and it is essential to suspend judgement.

In fact, no judgement is probably the best judgement of all as you never really understand other people. And this was perhaps the case here.

After circling around me about ten or more times, I lost count, he sat down on the steps behind me and started sketching. The pest had become a fellow artist.

It was great to see this young boy sketching. And he spent a long time sketching. He must have a passion for sketching just like myself.

I didn’t speak to him but when he left I did a little bow (I can be very Japanese on occasion). However, he didn’t even acknowledge me. Anyway, it was great to see someone so young with a passion for art and to even be drawing outside.

And I myself had a great time and managed to do three paintings.

The rain was constantly threatening to come down and there were a few drops. But luckily it held off until my last painting when it started to rain a little. It was, though, just a brief shower and by the time I had reached home it had finished.

That’s all.

Postscript

This story was originally written in July of 2014. I’m editing it in 2022.

There was no painting with this story so I added a painting without a story of its own to go with it but which was of the same river and which I painted during the same year this story was written.

It also shows a sky, like in the story, where there is the threat of rain. I have to admit, too, that I like this painting very much and am glad to be able to show it.

April 2, 2022
Painting a hauntingly soft and beautiful seascape

Today it was very hot and humid.

When I think of Japan this is how I normally imagine the weather to be but there are actually 4 seasons.

Anyway, it was evening time and the sun was shining in a silvery grey sky. It was quite strange but beautiful and I regretted not having a camera with me.

I was determined, though, to paint that sky. So I rushed home, took a quick swig of juice, sorted out my art gear, and then I was off to the sea by bicycle in order to paint that sky.

Yet when I came out of the house that particular magic moment had gone and I was just looking at a dullish sky now as the sun had sunk behind the clouds.

But I was rolling so I decided to keep going and besides, I reflected, these sunsets can change if you hang around long enough.

In fact, quite amazing things can happen with an evening sky if you are patient.

So I got to my painting spot and I did the painting above. Although the sky was not quite so spectacular now I added some of that earlier magic that I had seen and produced a painting that I was very happy with.

Ironically, after I finished it the sky suddenly started becoming redder and redder until it lit up like an enormous flame.

It was glorious.

I took photo after photo intending to use them later in the studio.

I was so moved by this scene that I decided to do one more painting.

This was perhaps a bad idea as I had one very unhappy wife when I returned home. Well, there is the matter of my 2 year old daughter to consider!

I finished this second painting in the dark with a soft white moon above me. It was magical.

Postscript

This story was originally written in July of 2014. I am editing it in 2022.

I can’t quite recall this event now and I’m not sure if the painting shown here is the one that I first painted.

However, the reference to a beautiful silvery sky is what the painting here shows and I’m fairly sure that I painted it in 2014.

Moreover, it is such an amazing painting that I couldn’t help adding it.

I’m amazed that nobody ever bought this painting. I think it’s one of my best pieces.

Sadly, I couldn’t find the second painting of that glorious red evening sunset.

March 28, 2022
Painting of a Japanese festival in the rain

There is now a 3 day festival near where I live.

It’s in an area called Nagahama.

It’s famous for having the first festival in the prefecture. It’s also the worst timed one as it occurs in the middle of the rainy season.

And on the second day of this event it rained buckets.

But I thought it might be a good idea to do a painting of the festival in the rain. In this year, I did a lot of paintings of rainy scenes and so I knew just how interesting they can look.

So despite my wife’s advice, she’s a lot more sensible than me, I cycled there and took some photos and came back thoroughly soaked.

My wife had a good laugh.

But it was worth it.

The next day I painted a picture from one of the photos I took and was delighted with the results.

For me this painting feels magical.

Hopefully, some more images of the festival in the rain will be coming soon.

Here are a few more paintings of this festival in the rain.

“Japanese festival in the rain”

“Japanese festival in the rain”

And here is one more painting of this festival but this time without rain. I like this picture because it has a very relaxing feeling.

“Men drinking at a festival”

Bye for now, or as they say in Japanese, “mate ne”.

Gareth.

Postscript

I originally wrote this story in July of 2014. I am editing it in April of 2021. I think this is the best picture I painted of a festival in the rain.

And when I showed this painting at an exhibition in Beppu in 2014, I clearly remember one man who kept looking at this painting. He would wander off but then come back and gaze at it.

It was fascinating to watch. There was something in him that really wanted that painting and yet equally there was something in him that didn’t want to buy it.

He finally said that he’d ask his wife and get her approval or disapproval. And in the end, he didn’t buy it. But the way he gazed so intensely at the painting for such a long time showed me that it was a great painting.

One of the most useful things about exhibiting your work is seeing how people react to your work – or don’t!

March 23, 2022

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