Gareth Naylor

Atmospheric paintings of Japan

Tag: Oita

  • Painting of construction work by a Japanese river

    Painting of construction work by a Japanese river

    This painting is a little gem for me.

    But let’s begin at the beginning.

    So I walk by my local river everyday.

    It’s something I love to do.

    It’s also a place to get away from vehicles of which there are way too many in Japan.

    But recently the vehicles have found their way to the river.

    There is a lot of construction going on down at the river now.

    And it has become quite a busy place where I see diggers, trucks, vans, cars and even an electric bus.

    It worries me because they are building a permanent road there where before there used to be just a rough gravel track. 

    They’ve already got a road along one section which they recently built but it looks like they might extend this.

    It also looks like they are building car parks too, in which case they really have spoiled this area.

    It’s some more green space gone from the prefecture that says it loves forests. 

    To be honest, I think they only love forests because this is a very rural prefecture.

    I have to admit though that the riverside can become very wild and overgrown. 

    There are areas with incredibly dense clusters of trees and bamboo trees covered in some kind of creeper.

    It doesn’t look pretty.

    But there were other areas where there were just a few trees and it looked quite nice. 

    In a lot of areas though they removed everything and made it totally flat.

    The Japanese don’t mess around when they do something.

    One thing I’ve learnt as an artist though who lives in the city is to look for beauty wherever I can or failing that just look for what is visually interesting.

    Normally I find the latter in Japan.

    So anyways, I was walking by the river and I saw this scene of a digger and a work man and I thought it looked interesting.

    I know it’s not your normal painting subject.

    I think the soft cool blue background and the warm yellow foreground of the grass made the overall color and feel of the painting nice.

    I got that soft background by first painting the objects, leaving them to dry, and then painting a warm wash over the top of them. 

    I used a watery mix of yellow ochre and alizarin crimson.

    And the road with the digger, worker, cones and whatnot added an interesting element of objects and busyness.

    Another interesting feature were the long shadows cast by elevated railway lines.

    I really liked the effect of these shadows. 

    It may look a little strange but I like it.

    Next time I might make those shadowy lines even stronger and have the worker partially disappearing into the shadows. 

    I could perhaps also do with another worker figure.

    I now have a small collection of paintings of construction workers.

    I might at some point make a mini-gallery of construction workers on my website.

    That’s all for now,

    Gareth.

  • Where I find some of my best paintings

    Where I find some of my best paintings

    I used to think that I had to travel quite far to find beautiful places to paint.

    However, after 16 years of painting, I have found that some of my best paintings have been done within a short distance of my house.

    One of my favorite paintings this year is of Oita castle. Well, maybe I should say Oita Castle wall because there is no actual castle. Anyway, this castle wall is only a 10 minute bicycle ride from my house.

    And the scene above is a temple gate about 300 meters from my house. 

    My wife and I pass this temple gate every morning when we take our daughter to nursery school.

    And on one particular morning it looked so beautiful that as soon as I got home I grabbed my watercolor gear and shot out to paint it.

    I love the trees. When I look at them, I imagine ballet dancers stretching out their limbs. 

    I also love the wonderful autumn colors that are still present despite it being December.

    But perhaps the thing that I love most are those powerful and dramatic shadows across the surface of the road.

    Truth be told, when I painted this scene I was feeling quite a lot of mental pain. Bad memories and thoughts, that kind of thing.

    Ironically this mental pain helped me paint well because it induced a certain indifference to the results of the painting. Watercolor responds very well to someone who paints in that state.

    It is when you care that it all goes wrong because the tendency to play safe creeps in and so your brushstrokes lack that boldness and expressiveness that are essential in a good watercolor painting.

    Basically, it loses the ‘swagger’ factor.

    I must admit, though, I was myself quite pleasantly surprised with how well it turned out. With watercolor it really is a very unpredictable hit and miss process.

    And that quality of swagger is so difficult to achieve because it’s so difficult to be indifferent by intention.

    However, you may be saying that this scene of traditional Japan is very beautiful and that there are no such subjects around your neighborhood.

    So I wanted to show you another scene that is far more ordinary. It is the elevated railway line next to my daughter’s nursery school. This is not a subject that is normally considered beautiful. But in the right light such a subject can be very beautiful.

    Watercolor painting of an elevated railway line in Japan
    “Elevated railway line in Japan”

    And here is one more scene that is even more ordinary.

    Watercolor painting of an ordinary Japanese street with an alleyway
    “Japanese alleyway”

    In this painting, the beautiful lighting and the interesting shapes and angles make this a good painting.

    So here are some pointers for finding beautiful scenes to paint in your neighborhood.

    Firstly, and most obviously, look for a beautiful subject. It could be a church, a tree or even a wall.

    Secondly, look for interesting shapes such as the metal framework you see on an elevated railway line or a utility pole with lots of wires.

    Thirdly, look for interesting angles. In the painting above there are lots of interesting angles that make this picture interesting. You can also exaggerate the perspective which gives interesting angles.

    Fourthly, lighting. Paint a subject on a sunny day when you have dramatic shadows. Also, it’s good to paint a subject in the morning or evening time as the shadows are even more dramatic then. Rainy scenes can also be good.

    So I hope this inspires you and helps you to find some beautiful scenes to paint around your own neighborhood.

    Gareth.

    Postscript

    I originally wrote this story in December of 2014, I am editing it in June of 2022. I’m still very happy with this painting of the temple gate and I can no longer remember the unhappy feelings I had while painting it.

    And, I thought I’d mention that we go to this temple in the dark early hours of New Year’s day to ring the big bell they have there. Afterwards, the monks give you amazake which is a traditional, sweet, low or non-alcohol drink made from fermented rice. It’s like a rice porridge or gruel that is sweet and watery. This temple makes the best amazake I’ve tasted; you get different kinds, some a little more watery and some like theirs almost creamy. It’s just the thing you need when you’re outside and it’s very cold.

  • Watercolor painting of a rough sea scene

    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.

  • Watercolor painting of a giant column of clouds

    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.

  • Watercolor paintings of my local Japanese river which I did in 2014

    Watercolor paintings of my local Japanese river which I did in 2014

    Watercolor painting of beautiful evening sky by a river
    “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.

    Watercolor painting of golden sunlight sparkling across a river
    “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.

    Watercolor painting of a peaceful evening walk by a 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.

    Watercolor painting of a morning fisherman walking home
    “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.

    Watercolor painting of friends fishing by the river
    “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.

    Watercolor painting of fishermen gathering by the bridge
    “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.

    Watercolor painting of a beautiful reflection of the sky upon the surface of the river
    “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.

    Watercolor painting of people strolling by the river on a sunny and misty day
    “Stroll by the river on a sunny and misty day”
    Watercolor painting of people strolling 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.

  • Meeting a water rat while painting Kitsuki estuary

    Meeting a water rat while painting Kitsuki estuary

    Watercolor painting of the estuary by Kitsuki castle
    “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.

    Watercolor painting of a fishing boat in Kitsuki estuary
    “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. 

    Watercolor painting of a beach in Kitsuki
    “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.

  • Painting the artificial river banks of Japan

    Painting the artificial river banks of Japan

    Watercolor painting of two people taking an evening walk along the river bank
    “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.

    Watercolor painting of a couple taking an evening stroll along the river bank
    “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.

  • When you paint outdoors you never paint alone

    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.

  • Painting of a Japanese festival in the rain

    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.

    Watercolor painting of a Japanese festival in the rain
    “Japanese festival in the rain”
    Watercolor painting of a 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.

    Watercolor painting of men drinking at a Japanese festival
    “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!

  • Creating a beautiful hazy effect in your watercolor paintings by using a tissue

    Creating a beautiful hazy effect in your watercolor paintings by using a tissue

    I am quite willing to try new things if it will improve my work and my latest thing is using tissue paper.

    I have used tissue paper before. However, I soon stopped because I didn’t like the smudgy results I got. 

    But recently I used a tissue again when I painted the picture above. It was just an experiment. I used a tissue on the cliff face and it created this beautiful hazy effect. And just in case you are wondering, this place is called Itogahama beach.

    Please ignore that green tree in the bottom right hand corner of the painting. This experiment was done on top of a previous painting which had failed and which I was reusing.

    Watercolor painting of a misty sea cliff
    “Misty sea cliff”

    And this is another attempt at using a tissue. As you can see it’s not as good as the previous painting.

    However, I will keep trying and hopefully find the knack because I love the effect I got in the first painting.

    That’s all,

    Gareth

    Postscript

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

    I still use a tissue in my artwork for various effects such as rim lighting on clouds. 

    However, I am still unable to get the amazing misty effect that I achieved in the first painting here. I’ll have to try again at some point and hopefully figure out the knack of getting a hazy effect.