DOWN BY THE STREAM ON A LAZY SUMMER'S DAY
ACRYLICS ON CEDAR W/RED OAK FRAME
SUMMER 2020

     I have always loved summer—especially here in the Pacific Northwest.  The warm sunshine, the cool morning & evening breezes, the birdsong and buzzing of insects all make the season very special.  Summer is also a quiet time, maybe not as much as when the snow falls in winter, but in its own special way.  It supplies a wealth of time to spend outdoors—in the past hiking with friends--but now sitting on the porches (whichever has the shade).  Enjoying summer brought back an old memory of our days doing archaeology at Ozette.  Summer meant hiking up to the mouth of the Ozette River and swimming, or just sitting by the river as it flowed out to the sea. With trees overhanging the river and grasses tall along the banks, time seemed to all but stand still.  Those were special times and still remain as a fond memory.  Consequently, I was inspired to paint this feeling of warmth and satisfaction of enjoying time well spent just doing nothing.  I am continually inspired by the Japanese Rinpa School, and this painting shows its influences.  I used a tarashikomi effect for the bark of the tree, and the water is reminiscent of Rinpa artists from Korin to Hoitsu.  The pattern of grasses was inspired by Suzuki Kiitsu’s 2-panel screen entitled Pampas Grass.  I made the frame for this painting 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:  19 ¼ inches
                                    WIDTH:  24 inches

                                                     PRICE $560

angled photo showing the gold overlay of the grasses

SUZUKI KIITSU: PAMPAS GRASS--2 panel screen

Gary Giovane
La Conner, WA
gioart13@yahoo.com