AUTUMN MOON BY THE SEA
ACRYLICS ON CEDAR W/RED OAK FRAME
FALL 2020
     Autumn is one of my favorite seasons.  Now that the season is in full swing, I am really enjoying the crisp air, the splashes of brilliantly-colored foliage, and the return of the rains.  This moment in time acts to motivate me to paint with the hope of celebrating autumn’s glory.  Recently I was taken by the beauty of a nezumi-shino platter by Japanese ceramic artist Wakao Toshisada, and it inspired me.  Wakao is known for his Rinpa-inspired designs which give his pottery a very painterly feel.  As a big fan of Rinpa myself, I composed this painting to incorporate the Rinpa feel alongside the traditional Japanese autumnal motifs of a full moon, geese flying, and maple leaves turning.  My surging waves are a synthesis of Wakao’s and Tawaraya Sotatsu’s Waves at Matsushima.  Both the tarashikomi of the branches and the treatment of the maple leaves were also inspired by the Rinpa style.  The design for the geese was influenced by both Northwest Coast Native and Celtic art traditions.  I made the frame out of red oak using pegged, hand-joined, mortise-and-tenon construction methods.  I used the Japanese technique (shou-sugi-ban) of charring and oiling the oak to finish the frame.
 
DIMENSIONS:         HEIGHT: 25 ½ inches
                                 WIDTH: 42 ½ inches

                                                         PRICE $1050
Picture
WAKAO TOSHISADA nezumi shino platter
Picture
TAWARAYA SOTATSU Waves at Matsushima (detail)