Gareth Naylor

Atmospheric paintings of Japan

Tag: mystery

  • Painting of a farmer’s fire in rural Japan

    Painting of a farmer’s fire in rural Japan

    I have this amazing painting.

    Sadly, I have no amazing story to go with it.

    In fact, the origin of this painting is murky.

    I’m pretty sure that it is from a photo I took.

    I’m not sure if I still have the photo but I can still remember that photo. 

    And I’m pretty sure that I took this photo when I was driving in the countryside.

    I’m not sure if I was alone and I stopped and took the photo.

    I think that was the case.

    But I could have been in the car with my family on some excursion when I saw this scene.

    And I can’t remember the exact location.

    I think I’d just passed a row of houses in the countryside, gone over a bridge and then I came upon this scene.

    I think if I pass the same place again then I will recall it.

    It was definitely in Oita prefecture where I live.

    But that’s all I can remember.

    At some point, I have to do some more paintings of smoke (or mist) in the countryside as I think they will turn into amazing paintings such as this one.

    And it will be so fun to paint them.

    That’s all for now,

    Gareth.

  • Watercolor painting of a woman sitting and writing in a cafe

    Watercolor painting of a woman sitting and writing in a cafe

    Watercolor painting of a woman sitting and writing in a cafe
    “Mystery woman in a coffee shop”

    Sadly, I have no idea when I painted this picture.. 

    I’m guessing that it was 2012.

    But it’s just a guess.

    And I have no idea where this place is.

    Neither do I know who the woman is in the painting.

    She could be my wife or a complete stranger.

    I should have kept some record of my work such as a pencil date on the back of the picture and a brief note about the place or person.

    But in my salad days I was just focused on painting.

    And that was a wonderful freedom.

    And hopefully such deep focus made me a better artist.

    But later on, it caused a big conundrum when it came to organising my work.

    Because I didn’t record my artwork.

    And also because I have painted a lot of pictures.

    I think that I presently have about a 1000 paintings even after throwing many paintings away.

    Anyway, I found this small painting while I was attempting to organize my artwork.

    And what I can say about this picture is that I like it. 

    And this is why it never got thrown away like so many other paintings.

    I love the shape of those chairs and the soft atmosphere of this scene.

    The colors are also pleasing with the contrast of a warm brown and a cool blue.

    Perhaps I should call this painting “A mystery woman in a coffee shop”.

    What do you think?

    What title would you give it?

    If you can think of a great title I will let you have the painting for half the price.

    That’s all,

    Gareth.