Painting 5: The Moon is Ours

The Moon Is Ours. 

If you can see its beauty, 

That is all I need to know.

I will capture it and keep it near,

Because we share a bond.

It was my father's birthday on December 27th, so my mother baked a strawberry shortcake 

and I painted my annual painting for him.
This one is a special thanks for all that he does for our family :)

Painting 1: Dawn [夜明け]

This was my first painting. Yeah, it sucks, but I've never had painting lessons and I'm happy with my job because even now, I understand what I felt then but also see new meaning in the work.

 It was done for my dad as his Christmas present 3 years ago. It is the twin companion to the painting of the grassy prairie I made for my mother. 

You see, my mom was born in the city and always wanted to grow old in the countryside.

But my dad was born in the countryside and always wanted to live in the city (specifically, above a small bookstore where he could come downstairs on lazy Sunday mornings and relax with a magazine and coffee). 

So of course we end up in the lousy suburbs.

That's why I painted what they dreamt of in my paintings.

 I imagined the quietness of the scenery that would express the satisfaction and content my parents would feel from reaching their destinations, their homes. 

Painting 4: Windows

During this past Winter break, I painted another painting. This one's for Mom. 

The idea was to have a desk facing a wall covered with windows that could also be paintings... 

The ambiguity allows the viewer to pick and choose which one gets to be the window and which gets to be the paintings. 

They are all pictures I've dreamed of going to or places that mean something to me. 

The pictures of Santorini and Paris are images that swim in my mind from time to time. 

The skyline of Boston, however, is inspired by the view outside of my college dorm, and the bridge is a bridge near my old home in Kawasaki, Japan. The colorful, snow-covered leaves are of the tree outside of my house in PA. 

This painting makes me smile. It's like an intersection of my dreams and my history.

Does the average of my future and my past become the present?

The Paris part was inspired by that Chanel fragrance campaign

Inspired by the river view from my dorm room

View of a church across the street through the seasonal leaves of a tree on my yard

Santorini was my favorite part to paint

It surprised me to see this painting hanging in my dining room when I came back for summer break. I had almost forgotten I'd painted it and it made me happy to see it.

 It was like seeing an old friend :)

Painting 4

Happy Birthday Dad!

This painting showcases my worst technique ever.

But it seems to work.

It feels right that it looks like it's painted by a kid.

This is probably my last painting before leaving home

so I added childhood memories into it.

Can you spot them?

Hint: The Little Prince, IHTFP-esque, Mobius, Totoro, Instruments, Flags

Painting 3

What an art studio. A leather sofa + mucky water + assorted partially dried acrylic paint + kid art paintbrushes + a Crayola white board table + sporadic warnings from my mother: "careful of the rug!" + foam plates for mixing + my universal TV DVD VCR remote = two nights of surprisingly refreshing progress.


This year's Christmas present for my dad. I even named it this time: Waiting at the Wishing Well.
It's actually rather symbolic of this past year and bumps along the family lane, but nothing more than that. I'm proud of the attempt at shading the well.
By the way, they're cold, not smoking.

Painting 2

Painting 1 is at my dad's office, so painting 2 shall do for now. It's my Christmas present to my mother from last year made from acrylic paints, idealistic image of the countryside, and cold, early mornings. What can I say other than that I am but an ignorant rookie (I know, I know, I left a little green blob in the painting) artist?