Varnish Day Picture Hillsboro 2025 Selections

 

This was fun. The oil version of Cherries at Orchard Park was selected for Picture Hillsboro 2025,

     So, I spent some time varnishing paintings. 

      This is the other selection that will be shown at City of Hillsboro from the end of this month.

Black Outline Artist Spotlights, March 2025

 March 2025 Collections 

Still have a little learning to do about making good black outline manipulations. 

Mostly, patience. 

I tried a few techniques including erase to background and can come out looking just as dirty especially depending on the starting sketch. 

For my "Artists Divine" Project 

Kiseki Show, Cosplayer and Vocalist 

Shoka Stonelake, Calligraphist, Portland, OR 

Rudy Autio and Jun Kaneko in Omaha

Masao Noda

Masao Noda 

Emmy-chan Decora Loli

Los dos Kiseki (The Two Miracles) and Kiseki Show

 

One of the performers I'm following is "Kiseki Show" so I created this. It's also loosely inspired by The Two Fridas. Can you tell I like to couple and twin in portraits and art? I wonder why... well... can't get enough of it! Will link when available on my Etsy. 

Kiseki Show is a cosplayer and stage performer. One outfit was their Shibuya Host outfit, the other was a Golden Angel. painting this was a good time. 

Detail: 

Urashima Taro Take 2 Work in Progress

 Speaking of the retrospective, I loved the colors and concept of a sketch for the Urashimatro painting, but it was one of my first oils and I feel like I can do better! 

  So, this has been in progress recently now that I'm wrapping up a certain project. 

Urashimataro is the legend of the sea boy, who rescued a turtle on the beach. He followed the turtle to its home, and there he met a Sea Witch. In a Rip Van Winkle turn of events, she offers him a box filled with... should I spoil the surprise? Well, needless to say it wasn't good and he sayed under the sea after every horror was released from that box in Pandora fashion. Eventually he could return to his town, but it was many many years later and everyone was either old or deceased.

My goal is to capture the freedom and the shapes of the sketch... though it never quite seems to come out that way and sometimes have to change the placements of elements.

 Burnt sienna underpainting. Oil on canvas, lean medium, lavender spike oil. I gessoed the canvas extra this time. Maybe they are all primed these days, but I didn't notice a difference when I was doing the underpainting. Surface didn't seem any more or less thirsty. 

Masao Noda Collections Complete

      Wrapped up this collection this weekend

     This is a follow up post to a previous in-progress blog. 

There are a few other similar series in progress. Have at least 10 other artists I'd like to feature in a similar way. 

Masao Noda, collection

Oil Portrait, 11 x 14

Oil on Canvas, 2025 

Masao Noda, Black outline of graphite transfer sketchg

I was dreading doing the black outline digital manipulations but it was actually easier than I remember it. 

Masao Noda at the Drums, Black Outline of Graphite Transfer Sketch 

Special project coming up.

Try your hand at coloring it. 

Detail of Oil Portrait: 

City of Hillsboro Walter's Cultural Arts Center: Small Works Show #2

 

Small Works Show #2

December 2024 - January 2025

Selections

1) Meruhen (Castle on a Cloud)

Watercolor on Cellulose 

SOLD

2) Lily Pond 

Watercolor on Cellulose 

Available

3) Tokyo Banana

Watercolor on Rice Paper (SOLD

4) Galaxy No.4

Watercolor on Arches Cotton Press 

Available 

5) Fields of Gold 

Watercolor on Cellulose

SOLD

Japanese Fairy Tales and Mythical Creatures Retrospective 1

 Japanese Fairy Tales and Mythical Creatures Retrospective

Hillsboro, Oregon had an event at Sequoia gallery for many years called Hip 2 B Square, where community artists could participate in painting a 12 x 12 square in whatever manner they desired. For many years, I chose to decorate these with Japanese fairy tales. 

Additionally, I did some other fairy tale pictures. 

This post is a retrospective of the journey I took creating them. 

Urashima Taro

Legend of the Ocean Boy

One of my first oil paintings. Inspired by some stickers I had for sale in my shop at the time. 

Available for purchase, prints

12 x 12 oil on canvas 

Taektori Monogatari

Tale of the Princess Kaguya 

Original square was gifted to a family friend, but a portrait shaped original/prints remains for sale here. 

Baby Kaguya

8 x 12 oil on canvas 

The Two Kaguya

Taketori Monogatari, Tale of the Princess Kaguya 

Inspired by Frida Kahlo's The Two Frida

I also like the dichotomy presented in the Ghibli film, Tale of the Princess Kaguya

The princess loved her early life wild and free in the mountains, but began to fade and languish when she was brought to riches and society life in the city. Its the interesting paradox of the world, that so many of the things humans seek such as power, wealth, luxury become prisons and can breed unhappiness once achieved. It moved me the way the princess yearned for the simplicity and connection of the way of life she experienced in the mountains. So I tried to depict her glowing, happy, free on the left in simple wear, and a cold more alien expression when dressed in court garb. 

16 x 18 oil on canvas 

Available here

The Princess Kaguya, Watercolor

Usually I do watercolor first, because it is a quick way to do color tests without investing too much materials and time (compared to oil), but I actually did this one after I did a few of the Baby Princess Kaguya. I love the way the white of the paper came through on this one. 

12 x 16 Watercolor on Cellulose

Original Sold

Prints available here 

Three Kappa in the Pond

Japan mythical yokai creature, Kappa river/water sprites

Oil on Canvas, 12 x 12 

Available, not yet posted

I was having a bit of a rough health patch this year's Hip 2 B Square (2021?)

But still, I wanted to participate, So I created this.

I feel like the number 3 is a litle special in this one, so picture depicts three kappa and three cherry trees in the foreground of the grove. 

More than an eastern landscape, It looks a little bit like the Pacific Northwest landscapes in Oregon. 

Stay tuned as I gather more of the Fairy Tale and Folklore series pictures.