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Have you ever had a moment in your life where you’re 210% at peace?  I’m talking about the type of serenity that makes you feel like you’re living in a dream and nothing in this world could bring you down.  This happened to me when I was 11 years old, almost 20 years ago, and this experience has influenced my art ever since.

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I was at the family cabin, which is deep in the woods and about 40 feet from a lake shared by only a couple cabins.  My dad and a few others built this cabin with their own hands and there’s no electricity or anything too luxurious in it.  I always believed that the purpose of this cabin is to get away from the hustle and bustle of ordinary life and to find tranquility in nature.

That day, the only people around for miles were me and my parents.  Only a few clouds were in the sky and the sunlight was intense.  I remember the breeze saving us from the summer heat.  My mom and dad were happily drinking their tea on the balcony overlooking the lawn and the lake.

I decided that I would go fishing while relaxing on the wharf my dad had built.  On my way to the lake, fishing pole in hand, I clearly remember tiny wild flowers scattered on the lawn.  A few butterflies were fluttering around, like they were welcoming me to paradise.  I took my time walking to my destination.  I wanted to soak in the summer day as much as possible.

As I finally reached the lake, I sat on the wharf next to a ladybug.  Dragonflies kept passing before me, soaring above the lake.  With the rustling of the tree leaves behind me, and the smell of the forest in the air, it was the perfect day for fishing.  I could just be still and enjoy the scenery.  The tranquility of my spirit was so pleasant that I remember thinking to myself, “When I’m older, I’m going to remember this moment”.

After a few hours of existing in bliss, I started to get hungry. I got up and leisurely walked back to the cabin.  The butterflies were still fluttering around the flowers; a beautiful farewell from paradise.
This was such a simple event, but it gave me a special connection to butterflies, dragonflies, ladybugs, flowers and trees.  Twenty years later, these subjects are still prominent in my art.

Here’s a video of me, Soniei, trying to explain the evolution and inspiration behind my contemporary Japanese art, canvas art, and art prints.

This video includes a brief explanation of how I left the 9-5 work world to live my dream as a full-time artist.

Buy the Tengoku (Heaven) Print

I was watching a webcast video on Oprah.com called Finding your spiritual path. Elizabeth Lesser, author of The Seeker’s Guide and Broken Open, said something early on in the webcast that really caught my attention.

Elizabeth says that our soul is something that we come into life with and that it’s always with us. She adds, “[our soul is] shining in our hearts”.

She uses the metaphor of a lantern to represent our psyche and our body, and the light within the lantern to symbolize our soul. Elizabeth explains that our lantern can get covered by soot (layers of conditioning). Negative emotions, such as fear, mistrust and anger, put soot on our lantern. As a result, the light of our soul becomes dull.

Elizabeth says that being on a spiritual path is finding a way to clean the soot off our lanterns so that our soul can shine bright again.

Through this metaphor, a painting was born.

The Art
I began painting a crisp, blue sky and cherry blossom tree branches in full bloom. In my mind, this image reflects the beauty and the light in our soul. I painted two butterflies, one covered in soot and one completely clear of it. The butterfly in the middle of the painting has gone through a transformation and is fluttering free from the soot. It’s in paradise. The light is not dull anymore; its soul is shinning.

If you start to clean away the soot from your life, little by little, your soul will shine bright again. You can then begin to experience heaven on earth. For that reason, I named this painting Tengoku – the Japanese name for Heaven.

Here’s a video of me, Soniei, trying to explain the evolution of my art and the inspiration behind my contemporary paintings.

This video includes a brief explanation of how I left the 9-5 work world to live my dream as a full-time artist.

Buy the 'Butterfly Bliss' Print

Contemporary art in shades of blue and brown. The painting includes abstract styled butterflies, flying in a serene world of endless skies and flowers.

This painting, titled Butterfly Bliss, was selected as Fine Art Registry’s (FAR) ARTWORK OF THE MONTH (April, 2008). This art was first registered in FAR on March 11th, 2008. The estimated Value went from $359 to $1299 on April 5th,2008.

The original painting was made with artist-grade acrylics on canvas by the Canadian contemporary artist, Soniei.

Buy cards and framed / unframed high quality prints of this contemporary butterfly art online now!

ORIGINAL PAINTING SOLD

Here’s a video of me, Soniei, trying to explain the evolution of my art and the inspiration behind my contemporary paintings.

This video includes a brief explanation of how I left the 9-5 work world to live my dream as a full-time artist.