Sunday, March 14, 1993

Rain in Metropolis



28" x 22"

I like rain. When I moved to California from Washington, D.C. and landed in a seven-year drought, I was made doubly aware of the dryness in the surroundings. I missed rain. I missed the sound of rain and the stillness of rainy days. In “Rain in Metropolis,” I wanted to paint the late spring rain and the nostalgia expressed by Ishikawa Takuboku in the following poem:
“Memory of the rain
in the fields of my home town,
of pale purple potato flowers
soaked in the rain…rain… in metropolis.”
Courtesy of Mr. and Mrs. Timothy Larkin.

February Thaw



34" x 22"

Winter does not last long in Tokyo. In February, spring creeps in under the cover of chill. The early spring snow is flaky, feather light, quick to melt – and not even cold to touch.
tiny shoots
in the melting snow
footprints of the spring

New Year's Kimono



30" x 24"

New Year’s joy…
colorful kimono
tells it all
I remember with nostalgia the ritual of my family at the New Year. We gathered in our formal Tatami* room, with my father seated before the Tokonoma **. Everyone wore their best clothes. I was given a new kimono, and I greeted my father formally, with a deep bow. Then the festivity could begin with the special Sake and delicacies of the New Year’s feast.

* Straw mat.
** Alcove where a painting and flower arrangement were displayed.