Sunday, September 07, 2003
"Etienne"
Digital
"Give me red lipstick
and a poppy red rouge
a shinglebob haircut
and a shot of good booze"
"Richland Woman Blues"
- Mississippi John Hurt
This is my new Digital art work.
I originally started to draw these as "mood journals."
I was imagining the look of that day...
I absolutely love the "jazz age" look.
Next week, in most towns throughout Japan, the neighborhood Jinja's [Shinto shrines] will have the annual event to bring about good luck for a plentiful harvest of rice.
In my town, there will be banging of drums, sake and beer, and members of the local shrine will man the floats,
to be paraded around the beat.
I have watched this for a few years now.
I have even banged the huge drum, with a baton the size of a baseball bat.
The parade begins and ends at the shrine, which is in my backyard, so when they beat the drum, my windows shake.
The year I painted "Rice Harvest Festival",
I was mesmerized by this little boy;
on that hot, early evening in September- with his oversized t-shirt and flip flops on.
The light sources.
And of course, the float performers.
I was trying to catch the feeling I got from this:
The boy is transfixed to the dragon puppet, as he pulls in angst at his t'shirt.
The light sources; from the twilight sky, the lantern lights of the float, and the eerie neon blue/green of the vending machines ...
The little girls dressed in yukata looking on as the grown ups perform on the flute, drums, and percussion instruments.
And of course, the dragon puppeteer...
My son Michio helped me with the Kanji for the lanterns.
I haven't sold this painting, as it is a very special memory of my time here.
Till next time... 'Mela
9:54 PM
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Photo: Michio Yves Ueda
