Somei Yoshino #03

This is the 3rd in a series of pictures entitled "Somei Yoshino" which is the name of the most common sakura tree in Japan.

In this picture I combined the previous "Somei Yoshino" pictures as an inspiration for the design of the woman's lipstick in this picture.

Somei Yoshino #01
Somei Yoshino #02

Somei Yoshino #02

A hanami scene (cherry blossom party in Japan)

This is a picture of a hanami party or a cherry blossom party where people gather beneath the trees and celebrate.

This is the 2nd in series of paintings entitled "Somei Yoshino" which is name of the most common type of sakura tree in Japan.

Somei Yoshino #01

Somei Yoshino #01

This picture is inspired by sakura trees which can represent birth and death. Yasukuni shrine also inspired the aspect of death in this painting as many war dead are buried there. When considering life in this painting the unborn child comes to mind. So in this world the sadness of death and the happiness of birth are contradictions that exist together. And the sakura tree with it's short lived sakura petals symbolise all of this.

Of course the Sakura tree is very symbolic of Japan. One of the most common types of sakura tree in Japan is the "Somei yoshino" thanks to human cultivation. However these trees aren't so common the in the wild. You can usually see these trees bloom around the Tokyo plain from the end of March to the beginning of April.

Tsukushi #03

This is the 3rd in a series of paintings inspired by the Tsukushi plant.

In this design I wanted to show the power with which the Tsukushi plant grows. I used the design for nail art in this picture.

Tsukushi #01

Tsukushi #02

Tsukushi #02

This is the 2nd in a series of paintings inspired by the Tsukushi flower. In this picture, I wanted to express how this plant reminds the viewer of Japan as well as it's amazing colours.

Tsukushi #01

Tsukushi #01

Japanese Tsukushi plant painting

In this painting I wanted to express the powerful energy of life itself. The design is inspired by the Tsukushi plant.

This is a plant you can often see in Japan during the Spring. This is also an edible plant with high nutritional value. It's a slightly unusual plant in that it can grow almost anywhere, not only in soil but from underneath asphalt. So although it's a small, cute plant, it is extremely powerful.

Osechi Ryori 3

This painting is the last in a series of three paintings entitled Osechi Ryori. The design of this painting was inspired from the previous two painting. Click below to see them.

Osechi Ryori 1
Osechi Ryori 2

You can see my other works here:

Art from Japan by the Gonk

Osechi Ryori 2

The image created from the previous painting was used in this one for a design for a scarf. 

Check out the 1st in the series of Osechi Ryori paintings 

Osechi Ryori 01

This is a picture that symbolizes my interpretation of Osechi ryori (a traditional Japanese food eaten during the news year period

Osechi ryori is a type of food eaten to celebrate the coming of the new year in Japan. The names and shapes and colors of the various foods symbolise bringing good luck to the family. For example, some of the different dishes represent abundant harverts, the safety of your family and the flourishing of your descendents. The amazing colors are also designed to please the eye.

Kinmokusei 03

This picture is the third in a series of three paintings entitled "Kinmokusei", the name of which comes from a plant that blossoms with bright orange delicate petals across Japan. The plants beautiful colours not only inspired me to make these painting but also their cultural connotations in Japan. They bloom in late September which evokes an Autumnal feeling and memories of festivals which often happen during that time. 

In this picture, the woman is wearing a festive dress and the design was developed from the second in the series of the Kinmokusei paintings I made. The woman in this picture is reminiscent of Delacroix's "Liberty leading the people". 

I'm a Japanese artist living in Tokyo, please check out my other blog posts to see my other works.  

You can also check out the other 2 paintings in this series here:

Kinmokusei 01

Kinmokusei 02

Kinmokusei 02

This picture is a T-shirt design. The motive for it was inspired by the "Kinmokusei" plant(Orange Osmathus). This is the 2nd of a series of 3 paintings. You can see the first Kinmokusei painting here. 

Kinmokusei 01

The Kinmokusei or Orange Osmanthus in English has incredibly small and delicate flowers. However the shape is beautiful, it has a strong perfume and has a striking appearance. I wanted to use this flower as an inspiration in my picture to express a sense of fun and an image of traditional Japan (above).

The Kinmokusei flower flowers for about 2 to 3 weeks around the end of September. It has a large number of tiny orange flowers and gives off a sweet pleasant fragrance. You can smell this all across Japan. The flowering of the Kinmokusei reminds us of a traditionally Japanese Autumn when they are in full bloom.