My lovely mother, Shirley, has recently passed away,
she was 88.
She had been in the care of my sisters
Wendy and Bonnie, since her stroke about 3 years ago.
She has taught me so many things
from my childhood to her last day,
that will stay with me all my life.
I will miss her blue eyes and sense of humor,
she passed both, to me.
For my son Michio, I'm sure he will always remember the spectacular summers
we spent with her and my step-dad, Al,
also joined by my 3 sisters, Debra, Wendy and Bonnie,
and their families.
As an artist, when emotion overtakes me,
I create, or think of creating.
I take a walk in nature and let it work its magic-
It helps me to process emotions that are too hard
to cope with...
So today some photos,
and a music playlist,
in gratitude and love for my mother, Shirley...
Gato Negro (Daniel Hokum & Okuma Remix) - Klik & Frik
A Different Light - Trentemøller
Creek - Hiroshi Yoshimura
The Piper's Call - David Gilmour
Crimson and Clover - Teho Teardo & Blixa Bargeld
Trade Winds - McCoy Tyner, ft. Béla Fleck
Le Surboomer - Grand Tourism
You Are Not An Island - Vanishing Twin
Sea Song - Pat Metheny
Walking On Air - King Crimson
I have been painting since childhood.
I felt my history and evolution while taking this self-portrait with "Lotus Pond", from 2003.
It's traveled with me here to Florida, from Japan...
In the past, as in this painting, I mostly painted what I saw.
Learning as I go, in studio and en plein air,
and revelling in the beautious scenery of Japan!
Then I went digital,
using imagination and honing my hand to mouse skills, editing, and digital skills...
I've had many successful shows in Japan, mostly in the jazz clubs I also performed in,
and art house coffee shops and restaurants.
But never a gallery.
I've had no luck getting a gallery showing in Japan.
Consequently, many of my canvases, (including "The Lotus Pond")
have not been seen in public due to the smoking
that was prevalent in most non-gallery public spaces, then, in Japan...
As a jazz singer, I see similarities in the artistic creative process; you must first learn fundamentals;
learn the music as it's written, before you can "improvise" with any precision.
You just know/feel when it's time to fly.
It's time to fly.
I want to do a retrospective; incorporating my art, new and old and with some of my music
into one show.
Not much to ask from the Universe, is it?
Kalkutta - Okuma
Purple Line - Ben Böhmer
No End In Sight / Outro - Lane 8
They Say It's Spring - Blossom Dearie
Bismillahi \'Rrahman \'Rrahim - Harold Budd
She Lived Down by the Firehouse - R. Crumb & The Cheap Suit Serenaders
4 AM - Herbie Hancock, ft. Jaco Pastorious
Sister Europe - Psychedelic Furs
Freunde, das Leben ist lebenswert - Richard Tauber
Your Own Sweet Way - The Notting Hillbillies, ft. Mark Knopfler
I remember when I created this piece.
My son Michio was attending elementary school in Japan,
and he was studying woodcut carving and printing.
I borrowed his tools, and bought small sized linoleum tiles
and carved 1 tile for this, printed 6 times...
I used acrylic gouache mixed on the tray, rolled on with a brayer...
But I wasn't satisfied with the flat look of it.
I used a tiny amount of red powdered food coloring I had on-hand,
mixed with water in a make-shift air brush:
an empty pump style plastic hair spray bottle.
Wow, it made such fine mist, and delicate layers of color!
Handprinted and "misted", I made only a few prints.
I also kept the tile.
It's my first time to present it, today...
"Bismillahi 'Rrahman 'Rrahim"
(H. Budd)
HaroldBudd, el. piano
Richard Bernas, celesta
Gavin Bryars, glockenspiel
Maggie Brown, harp
Marion Brown, alto sax
Howard Rees, Jo Julian, John White,
Michael Nyman, marimbas
Photo: Michio Yves Ueda
