... and you lose some.

There's nothing I can say to sugar coat this blog entry.

I've written about Gen Kai Japanese Restaurant before:

Japanese Artistry
Adventures in Sushi
Nami

It's been my favorite restaurant for about, oh, 15 years. The sushi there is impeccable. I enjoy its authenticity. There are so many Americanized sushi places out there nowadays, and so far I've found nothing that compares.

Anyway.

There was a fire this past weekend, and it destroyed much of the interior of the restaurant. The structure is still standing, and they hope to rebuild eventually. My heart just broke when I found out. We've developed personal relationships with many members of the staff, and I can't imagine how awful they must be feeling. It's just soul crushing to think about. If Jun-san and Irene-san happen to be reading this, know that we are thinking about you.

As for me, though I have suffered a personal loss in this experience, it's hard for me to feel as though my situation compares. It's sad all around. Either way, restaurants can be rebuilt, paintings can be remade. No lives were lost. In the end, it's all just stuff. As we used to say in the old Immersion days, it's about The Journey.


Even if it's painful to look at. :o(

Moonlight Mood . 8x10 . 2009

1. natural lighting

2. artificial/interior lighting
3. combined uv and artificial lighting
4. uv lighting only
5. no light (glow in the dark)

Ingredients: acrylic, beach sand, crushed glass, phosphorescent pigments, varnish, water & light on canvas.

Moonlight Mood is a Glenn Miller song. :o)

I don't know what it is about this painting that reminds me of a 1940's nightclub, but I seriously feel like mixing up a highball and swingin' the night away to a large orchestra. Hence, its title.

I should also note the the texture on this piece is so thick and texturey, it sticks up nearly half in inch away from the canvas. In some ways, it's more like sculpture. Or, as Colin put it, "an acrylic meteor."

:o)

Moonlight Mood is available in my Etsy shop.

When something is truly awesome, I really should blog about it.

THIS IS SO AWESOME! AGH!



(now would be a good time to mention that I've never even heard Beyonce's original version, and I have even less intention of doing so now.)

But! In case you're more of an Earth Wind and Fire type of person, here ya go!



More Pomplamoose to listen to online.

Love it. LOVE IT. Go buy Pomplamoose's music. Now. Support art. Support AWESOME art.

Resonance . 24x30 inches . 2009

1. natural lighting

2. artificial/interior lighting
3. combined uv and artificial lighting
4. uv lighting only
5. no light (glow in the dark)

Ingredients: acrylic, beach sand, crushed glass, phosphorescent pigments, varnish, water & light on canvas.

"Water need not think to offer itself as a home for clear moonlight." --Sogi

I think I must find water to be spiritual, because I have an ongoing obsession with it. Water is essential for all forms of life. It gives life and takes life. A raindrop is so small and soft, yet a tsunami washes villages away.

The idea of living in the middle of the country somewhere far away from any large bodies of water seems nightmarish to me. Dry and nightmarish. What do you breathe out there? Dust? Dirt?

Truthfully, I'm also afraid of the ocean. I adore the ocean when I'm standing on a beach, or when I'm close to shore surrounded by turtles and yellow fishies. But deep water? Open ocean? Now that's a nightmare.

Cymatics! I don't have a fancy lead-in for that, it's just awesome and should be announced. Basically, cymatics is the study of wave phenomena, specifically sound wave vibrations. Look at this flower shape created through sound vibrations on water:


And if you're still with me and interested to see more, check out all these amazing variations in patterns this person created with a synthesizer and water:


A friend of mine was over last week and noted "all the moons" I was painting around my studio. This was true, but I really never think of myself as painting the moon, except maybe in a philosophical sense. I think of it more as exploring the light from the moon, or the mood of the moon. I'm not even sure it's necessarily inspired by the moon when I paint it. Maybe it's just a star. Or a planet. Or a circle. Maybe it's just light. Someone once encouraged me to "paint the moon" in a realistic way, with all the visible craters and regions on the moon we see every night, adding that "that would be REALLY interesting" if I did so.

I have a feeling I'll never be doing that. ;o)