WHEN THE WISTERIA BLOOMS
ACRYLICS ON CEDAR W/RED OAK FRAME
SPRING 2019

     Wisteria, with its hanging clusters of beautiful blossoms and luxuriant green, dense vines, is one of our favorite plants in the garden.  We like that it also provides habitat for the many small birds that visit throughout the year. Our wisteria didn’t bloom for years, but now that it’s growing over the new arbor, it seems happier than ever, and it shows.  Currently, the buds on our wisteria vine are not only visible but growing by the day.  It won’t be long now until we are covered in new blossoms.  Wisteria is a common motif in Japanese art and can be seen in ukiyo-e prints, screen paintings, textiles, and ceramic designs.  Several kimono patterns showing wisteria initially inspired me to do this painting in celebration of spring.  Specifically, two works were very helpful in achieving my design.  Rinpa School artist Kamisaka Sekka’s woodblock print Wisteria and Kyoto potter Nonomura Ninesi’s wisteria-decorated tea jar were especially influential in my execution of this design.  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:  27 inches
                                    WIDTH:  16 inches

                                                        PRICE $530

Kamisaka Sekka--Wisteria

Nonomura Ninsei wisteria tea jar