SUN-A-DO (Commission)
ACRYLICS ON CEDAR W/RED OAK FRAME
SPRING 2023

     The city of Seattle is beautifully situated on the southeastern shore of Puget Sound and the Salish Sea.  To the east lie the Cascade Mountains, and Tahoma (Mt. Rainier) dominates the skyline. To the west is found another impressive set of mountains, the Olympic Range.  The Duwamish Tribe, who have occupied the lands around present-day Seattle since time immemorial, named these mountains Sun-a-do.  The mountains rise sharply from sea level and create a formidable barrier to the west but still invite one to explore what’s on the other side.  On calm clear days, as the sun is rising, the morning light shines brilliantly on the mountain peaks, treating Seattleites to a color-show destined to inspire all.  Appropriately, the title chosen for this painting is Sun-a-do, to honor the Duwamish people, their traditional homelands, and their surrounding views.  This is not representational or abstract art but “suggestive art”, as it suggests a landscape and then asks the viewer to complete it using their own mind and past experiences.  Inspiration came from Ito Jakuchu’s monochromatic woodblock-printed handscroll entitled Jokyoshu: Impromptu Pleasures Afloat (see On a Riverboat Journey: A Handscroll by Ito Jakuchu with Poems by Daiten, ©1989, by Onishi, Hiroshi).  The frame for this painting was made out of red oak using pegged, hand-joined, mortise-and-tenon construction methods.   I used Minwax Golden Oak stain to finish the frame.
Sun-a-do was commissioned by friends Steve Shapiro and Lisa Greenberg to add color to their newly renovated basement rental apartment.  I hope it helps brighten the day for all who see it. 
DIMENSIONS:          HEIGHT:  14 inches
                                  WIDTH: 52 inches

                                                            SOLD

Ito Jakuchu-Jokyoshu: Impromptu Pleasures Afloat