It’s been a long time since I made a new chicken. Too long, in fact. So it was necessary that one of my first paintings since quitting must be a chicken. Actually, I painted this last week but it’s taken this long to dry. I’m entering it into an art content this weekend, so I was able to finish it just in time. Anyway, here is the next in the Chickens of the World series: Hanamachi.
Hanamachi
I mentioned how last month I was furiously working away on the wedding invitations. After making and sending them all I realized I didn’t make an extra for us to keep, or at least to scan… but I do have the digital files of the images. They look OK on the screen, I think, but they were really intended to be printed on Japanese paper, so the effect isn’t quite the same. On the rough, handmade paper with tons of little fibers and pigments in it, the pictures looked really nice, I think. But here it is anyway just to show:
Irises
The irises were printed in the corner of the envelope, which had a dyed gradient across it.
Otaki Shrine
This was the main invitation. It’s very dark because it was printed to go underneath a piece of vellum-like washi which had the text and information on it; it was sort of a backdrop piece. Anyway, this is the big, ancient shrine in the mountains where we will be married.
Pi-chan
It’s Pi-chan, of course! She was printed on the RSVP return postcards.
Anyway, these images don’t really do justice to the whole piece, which turned out to have a very cool handmade wedding feel to it. I’m really happy with how it turned out.
As much I hate to admit it, Golden Week is over. I’m really glad I didn’t get tonsillitis this year, so I could fully enjoy it finally. I rented about 20 DVD’s during the 100 yen DVD sale, and painted almost every day. I also found a new art store in Takefu right near my house (pity that I’m moving in a few months) and spent a lot of time with Hitomi’s (and now my, I guess) family, working on their farm/garden, and relaxing. I painted a lot of my Warhammer army too. All-in-all, it feels like a squeenzed an awesome month into an 8 day spread, so I’m really happy. Returning to work after such a vacation has been like returning to doom, but there’s only a few weeks left of it so I can push through. Anyway, here are my panting fiesta results:
Mt. Hino from Murasaki Shikibu Park
Mt. Hino from the Hino River
Mt. Hino from the Hino River (different style)
Spiderweb in Ajimano Gardens
The first 3 are oils and the final one is gouache and ink. I actually did 1 more piece of Hitomi in her kyuudo outfit riding a giraffe and firing arrows on a red, ringed planet in space… but it’s still wet so I couldn’t scan it. I’m really enjoying painting with gouache — the two pieces I’ve done on Japanese boards so far turned out nice for me. I think I’ll continue using it when I can.
My friend added one of my chickens to her Cluck Cluck collection on Etsy. 🙂
http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=52035
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photos: flickr.com/chenreichert
Just in time (to see, not to buy) for the 2009 Subaru Cherry Blossom Festival, it’s 100 Famous Views of Philadelphia: Spring View of Shofuso (松風荘庭園の春景色). It was rough pulling this one together in just one month, with the proposal, wedding planning, and work, but I like how it came out. Being as these pieces are kind of partner to the Cherry Blossom Festival, it’s nice to have another cherry blossom themed piece too.
Now, you should go out and see the real thing, in Fairmount park! You can learn more about the Japanese House and Garden at www.shofuso.com, and you can learn more about the Cherry Blossom Festival at jasgp.org/cherryblossomfestival (as well as buy my prints — you know you want to).
Recently I finished the latest of 100 Famous Views of Philadelphia: Sunset at Independence Hall. I hope you enjoy it!
I did this piece for my brother for his upcoming organ recital. I guess he’s playing some famous “Halloweeny” pieces like Danse Macabre and Night on Bald Mountain on the organ. It sounds really cool, and I wish I hear it. But oh well. Maybe there will be a recording I can listen to? So this piece is supposed to go on the posters and such for the recital. He asked for a D&D-ish feel to it, so here is my ogress doing the “classic” organ playing pose. Good luck, Erik!
Orcs, Ogres, and an Organist