TAKE (竹) TIME

Mixed Media on Wood

36" x 24" | 92 cm x 61 cm

Private collector, Canada

This piece shows a young Japanese girl strolling through a bamboo forest in Kyoto in her beautiful summer kimono. This piece reflects the serenity and beauty found in many places here in Japan. The Japanese people have a great appreciation for nature and many temples and shrines have beautiful gardens that invokes an immediate sense of peace and tranquility.

The title for this piece is inspired by the Japanese spelling of the word "take" (竹- pronouced ta ke) which means Bamboo.

Right now, painting the beauty of Japan helps me deal with feeling homesick for the country I had to leave behind last year.

All my life, saying goodbye has been difficult for me. The first time going to school involved huge crying fits that ended up with me throwing up, just because I had to say goodbye to my mom.

 I have become better at handling goodbyes over the years but it hasn't gotten any easier. 

While I was painting this piece in my studio in Canada I was thinking about the people that were walking these same streets in Ise, Japan, smelling the smells of all the different food stalls and enjoying the magic of stepping back in time in this beautiful village. Every time I would think of this I felt a pang of longing but having this piece on my easel made the country I miss so dearly feel just a little bit closer.