Gareth Naylor

Atmospheric paintings of Japan

Tag: old painting

  • Painting a Japanese temple and annoying a monk

    Painting a Japanese temple and annoying a monk

    This temple is near my house.

    At one time I often went there because I loved the old wooden buildings with their beautiful architectural details and the peaceful atmosphere.

    And the picture here shows one of my favorite views of this place.

    I believe this is the wall of the main temple building.

    It leads into a dark room which I once saw and where I think the monks do meditation together.

    The very thick wooden block hanging from the wall has been substantially hollowed out in the middle by repeated hitting with a hammer.

    The monks hit this block slowly at first and then gradually increase their strikes until eventually it becomes a crescendo.

    In my view, it’s one of those ludicrous customs that characterizes all religions. 

    In other words, deep significance is given to something that means absolutely nothing. 

    Although I suppose it can alleviate the monotony of life.

    And I think people do all manner of crazy things in order to alleviate such monotony, myself included.

    Anyway, I was once painting the scene above when one of the monks came up to me and pointed out that I had spilt a drop of blue paint onto the pristine white concrete below me.

    It was a tiny drop.

    He had to point it out to me otherwise I wouldn’t have seen it.

    This man, who gave me the impression of having more authority than a normal monk, was not big on pleasantries. 

    There was no: Hello. It’s a nice day, isn’t it? Are you well? Or even, God forbid: That’s a lovely painting. 

    For some reason, secular people seem to have more ability at social niceties.

    Well, I wanted to explain that it was just watercolor and would soon fade away and that it would also just dissolve in the rain.

    But I felt that I would be wasting my time and besides my Japanese was probably not good enough to explain this correctly. 

    In fact, if I had used Japanese there is a good chance I would have offended him because my Japanese was – and still is – so bad that I would probably have said something offensive by mistake such as “You are a problem” when I intended to say “What is the problem?” – to give an example.

    And I think this monk just wanted to attack me. 

    Perhaps he didn’t like my presence, which he saw as intrusive or impertinent. 

    Or perhaps he wanted to exercise his authority. 

    Whatever the reason, it is a puzzle that will never be solved.

    But it made me think what baloney Buddhism is. 

    Basically it is supposed to be a religion based on non-attachment to things but here was obvious attachment. 

    He cared. 

    Well, at least about the building.

    I think we all have the image in our minds of the quintessential Buddhist monk in deep meditation who is not bothered by the mosquito flying around his head because he is completely detached from the world and all its affairs. 

    I used to be the naive kind of person who believed such stuff but life has a way of defecating over such delusions and showing the less savory truth.

    I’ll admit, I think there are a tiny few spiritual beings who get close to such non-attachment or exceptional humanism but their efforts, at least for me, are eclipsed by the many who fall, and not just simply fall but create such a scandal that it beats any kind of drama on TV, such as with Eido Shimano in New York.

    Sadly, it is common rather than rare to find out that spiritual types are all too attached to the world, to things, to money, sex and power.

    Anyway, I dutifully cleaned up that speck of blue.

    And I have to mention that I have met many friendly monks at this temple.

    It is often the case that there is always going to be one bad apple in any group.

    And perhaps I should look at this from a completely opposite viewpoint. 

    Instead of complaining perhaps I should praise this monk because for me the best thing about spirituality is the buildings: it is the churches and the cathedrals and the shrines and the temples.

    In other words, and what an irony, the physical manifestation.

    And possibly it is men like the one who told me off that keep some of that architectural beauty of old Japan alive and for that I should be grateful.

    And I am.

    Perhaps then a little attachment is good.

    So I will leave you with the following Koan: Is a little attachment a good thing for a spiritual person?

    But don’t think about that too much.

    It will just give you a headache.

    There are no answers.

    That’s all.

    Gareth.

  • A simple line and wash watercolor of a woman reclining in a chair

    A simple line and wash watercolor of a woman reclining in a chair

    I’m really happy with the minimalism of this painting. 

    And when I look at this painting it makes me think I should do more paintings of figures. 

    There is a beautiful combination here of line and wash.

    And the areas of shadow are a beautiful mix of warm and cool colors. 

    I especially like that touch of pure blue in the shadow areas. 

    When I look at that it makes me wonder if I’ve actually improved as a watercolor artist. 

    I think my shadows are a bit boring nowadays compared to this.

    And the composition is great. 

    The way the figure occupies the space of the paper creates wonderful negative spaces within the surrounding areas of the paper.

    I think this is one of the lucky paintings that worked out well.

    And there were probably many failures which I threw away. 

    But the truth is I can’t remember as this was painted over 10 or 15 years ago.

    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.

  • My oldest watercolor paintings of Japanese cityscapes

    My oldest watercolor paintings of Japanese cityscapes

    There are 4 times in my life when I did art.

    First time

    Firstly as a child I did a lot of drawing.

    I loved using crayons. 

    Every Christmas I remember how delighted I was to receive a pack of crayons. 

    But what I drew is not something you’d call it art. 

    For I just drew endless rectangular spaceships.

    I would cover the whole paper with them.

    And then there would be a big battle.

    I also drew, or maybe I should say gouged, an image of a church on my bedroom wall.

    It was my Sistine Chapel moment! 

    However, my dad, who had just painted the bedroom wall, which was a really long room, and who had very high standards of workmanship, was not impressed. 

    I later learnt that he said to my mum in disbelief: “I can’t believe it. He’s so destructive”.

    I also painted the inside of the shed. This too was not well received.

    Second time

    The second time I did art began in my last year at school when I was about 15. 

    Now I was drawing plants, dungeons and dragons stuff and pictures of nude women. 

    Of course, I improved most from drawing the latter because I was very focused.

    Although I passed, I spent another year at college doing art. 

    And according to my lecturer I had gotten worse at drawing over this year. 

    But I think that was because we were drawing things like folded strips of paper which is not inspiring. 

    If we’d been drawing naked women I think I would have massively improved or even fantasy subjects such as dragons and knights.

    Anyways, I was not impressed by the art lessons at college. 

    And it was suggested that I should do Graphic Design which is far more cool and perhaps I could become a concept designer which sounded really cool. 

    So I went and did a year in graphic design and I did a few lessons in watercolor painting in my free time which I really enjoyed and which I wish I’d continued at.

    Doing the graphic design course was a big mistake. 

    The director, or whatever he was titled, was a brilliant illustrator but he almost looked down upon art. 

    He would say that art was for monkeys and that it was ideas that were important.

    His comments saddened me because the whole reason I had started the course was because I liked art, I liked drawing and painting, and I wanted to get better at it. 

    I also wasn’t very good at art or ideas. 

    After one year I quit the course. 

    And then for many years I did all kinds of other things but no art.

    Third time

    But my interest in art did come back.

    I’m not sure though it was a good thing. 

    I sometimes wonder if art has been a blessing or a curse for me. 

    Perhaps both. 

    But anyway, I was studying physiotherapy in Bath.

    I had the chance at a job for life and security.

    Yet, I was unhappy. 

    And I had started drawing again. 

    After a month, I quit the course.

    I decided that I wanted to do a course in Fine Art.

    Sadly I couldn’t because I had to first do a Foundation course and I didn’t have the financial resources to do that. 

    So, I started an art related degree course that didn’t need a Foundation course.

    But it was rubbish. 

    I soon realized that and quit that too. 

    A year later I started a course in architecture. 

    I thought it would allow me to do my art. 

    But after one year I quit architecture too. 

    I was getting very good at quitting things.

    After that one year, during the summer holidays, I cycled around France for 3 weeks and did some drawings. 

    You can read about that story here. 

    That was so fun. 

    And I wish that I had done more travelling and drawing. 

    But after that holiday I not only quit the architecture course but also the art.

    After that I did a foundation course in mechanical engineering for one year.

    And then I went and studied English literature. 

    And I actually got a degree in English literature. 

    I had even started to toy with the idea of becoming an English lecturer. 

    But after 3 years of studying for my degree I wanted freedom from academia. 

    I wanted to see the world. So I went to Japan.

    Fourth time

    And in Japan, around 1999, my interest in art returned. 

    I started going to a watercolor class and an oil painting class. 

    At some point I got very serious and actually started walking around the city and painting what I saw.

    This is easy to do in Japan as people are pretty easy going. 

    Especially if you are a foreigner.

    I remember once in England I was on a street doing a drawing and a car stopped near me. 

    There was a burly man in a car with his family and he was staring at me as though I was a felon. 

    He was very aggressive looking. 

    And he actually got out of his car. 

    And in a very menacing voice he asked me, what I was doing.

    England is not the country of gentlemen that the Japanese seem to believe. 

    There’s nothing gentle whatsoever about the place. 

    Well, there are a few kind people.

    Anyway, back to the story. 

    These paintings are some of my earliest artworks.

    I think I painted them around 2005.

    They are of a place called Shinmachi which is very near Oita city centre. 

    I lived in a big apartment in Shinmachi from about 2000 to 2006. 

    I think these paintings are the first outdoor paintings that I did.

    I’m so glad that I kept them.

    And I thought that I’d share them with you.

    I simply wandered around Shinmachi and painted what I thought was interesting, such as the petrol station, the concrete aqueduct and the car scrapyard. 

    The concrete aqueduct was actually painted across two separate sheets of paper which is why there is a white gap in the middle.

    These paintings are now very old and things have changed in Shinmachi. 

    I believe the car scrapyard has gone. 

    And the bridge next to the petrol station has also gone. 

    All that is solid vanishes into air! It seems to be true.

    Here are all the paintings.

    Watercolor painting of a Japanese car scrapyard
    “Japanese car scrapyard”
    Watercolor painting of a Japanese petrol station
    “Japanese petrol station”

    Note that this painting has a date in the left hand corner. I am so happy about that. The 05 means 2005. So I know that I painted this picture in 2005. And I’m fairly sure I painted the other pictures around the same time.

    Watercolor painting of a Japanese concrete waterway
    “Japanese concrete waterway”

    Note the car scrapyard in the distance which I painted in another picture. I think that place is visually very interesting.

    Postscript

    I’m writing this article in February of 2021. 

    It’s cold. 

    My right hand feels like a block of ice. 

    My mum sent me a pair of gloves to keep my fingers warm but they are so tight that I can’t move my fingers with them on.

    It cost her about 14 dollars to send the gloves.

    What a ridiculously high price. 

    But the sunlight is streaming in through my window and it is glorious. 

    I feel bathed in light. 

    And I just keep on writing. 

    Today, or was it in the middle of the night, I decided to write 250 blogs, make 250 videos and to have 1000 images on my website.

    I also decided to have about 10 galleries on my website with paypal buttons, which is the kind of practical thing that I don’t do. 

    I wonder if I’ll do it.

  • A terrible watercolor painting of a Japanese river

    A terrible watercolor painting of a Japanese river

    I would have thrown this painting away long ago but there was a good painting on the other side. 

    So this terrible painting got preserved by accident.

    I came across this painting when I was organizing my large collection of artwork. 

    But I was happy to discover this painting because despite being a terrible painting it is a very old painting and it is interesting to see my old work as much of it I have thrown away and forgotten.

    I’m not sure when I painted this picture but I think it was around 2010.

    It is now 2021.

    The style and feeling of this painting is very different to my later paintings of this river.

    This river is called Oita river.

    It is one of my favorite painting spots.

    I can see beginner mistakes in this painting such as trying to add too much detail to the background mountains.

    This painting reminds me that I tried so many times to paint a good picture of this river.

    And so many times, I painted a bad painting such as this one.

    The first ten years of learning watercolor painting, which is when this picture was painted, were difficult and full of frustration.

    One other thing I like about this painting is the Japanese boat.

    These long, flat bottomed Japanese boats are very beautiful.

    This boat is no longer there.

    When I first came to Japan you could often see these boats.

    They were often in a bad condition but I found them interesting.

    And seeing this boat in the painting reminds me of an ​older Japan.

    And I feel a little sad because it feels like that older Japan has gone.

    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 painting of a wooden chair in a Japanese apartment

    Watercolor painting of a wooden chair in a Japanese apartment

    This painting is very old and very valuable to me.

    I lived in this apartment with my wife and her two children.

    I first came to Japan in 1999 and about one year later I was living in this apartment.

    I lived here for about 6 or 7 years.

    At some point during that time I painted this picture.

    It’s painted on wood pulp paper.

    With this paper, the paint seems to stay on the surface rather than sink into it as it does with cotton rag.

    Because of this you get an interesting textural effect which sometimes I like and sometimes I hate.

    In this painting I like it.

    But it’s not a great painting.

    The lines of the sliding door are poorly done.

    That said, I love the composition, the colors and the reflection in the floor.

    And this picture has enormous sentimental value for me.

    I have many happy memories of this place.

    I’ll also never forget moving from this place.

    It was a nightmare.

    My wife and her girls had so much stuff. 

    Trash might be a more accurate word.

    I was frantically trying to stuff all of this “stuff” into boxes while the removal men were sprinting down the hallway, picking boxes up and scooting off with them.

    I had to finish packing everything before they got all the boxes.

    It was like being in a crazy computer game.

    Although you might be impressed by how efficient these removal men were, I was experiencing a strong feeling of pressure from them.

    Time was money and they weren’t going to waste their time.

    And they were a bit too quick.

    In their haste several things were broken.

    Anyway, I’m writing this in February of 2021 and we still have the chair in the painting.

    Although maybe not for long.

    This chair along with 3 more and the kitchen table are a set.

    But my wife wants a new table and chairs.

    Well there is a permanent and deep mark in the table which I made from painting on it constantly for several years.

    I used to call myself the kitchen table artist at that time.

    But it is proof that you don’t need such things as a studio in order to paint and I did some great work on that table.

    And I had my paints permanently set up on that table at one time.

    Anyway, I will be sad to see these chairs go.

    But I guess everything goes at some point.

    And just because something passes away, just because all that is solid passes into air, it doesn’t mean it is worthless.

    It just means it is vital to enjoy every day of having the things (and people) we do.

    Luckily, a painting can last a very long time.

    And I’m happy that even after all these years I have this painting and the memories it brings with it.

    So that is all for now,

    Adieu mon ami,

    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.

  • A delicately layered watercolor painting of an evening sky

    A delicately layered watercolor painting of an evening sky

    This is one of my oldest paintings that I still have in my possession.

    I’m not sure of the exact year that I painted it but I think that it must have been between 2005 and 2010.

    I have thrown away nearly all of my old work from that period but this one I kept.

    No doubt this is because I find it somewhat beautiful. 

    And I think the beauty comes from the use of layering one color over another.

    The thin glazes of color creates a beautiful transparency and in my opinion conveys a feeling of pureness and vibrancy.

    That alone wouldn’t make it such a beautiful painting.

    If it was only that then it might be a rather weak watery watercolor.

    That delicacy of layered colors is made beautiful and emphasized by the contrasting bold blue clouds.

    And I think this painting shows that a good watercolor painting has a combination of delicacy and boldness.

    Ironically, I rarely use that layering technique nowadays.

    I confess that I tend to be a bit of a heavy handed watercolor artist and paint rather thickly.

    I sometimes wonder if I should have painted in acrylics rather than watercolor.

    But to return to this painting.

    When I look at this painting, it is like receiving a message from the past that is urging me to do some paintings with this layering technique – and also to add some of my normal boldness with it. 

    So far, I haven’t but one day maybe I will.

    My only regret when I look at this painting is my signature.

    Why did I put it so high up! 

    It really spoils the painting. 

    I was almost tempted to remove it.

    In the end, I decided not to as I thought the risk of spoiling the painting was too great,

    So it remains.

    That’s all for now,

    Gareth.