Buy the Mount Fuji Art Print

I love Mount Fuji because it’s one of the best subjects for landscape paintings.  In my opinion, the majesty of this mountain is a great visual representation of sacred power.

In order to add contrast and accentuate Mount Fuji’s grandeur, I painted delicate pink cherry blossom branches.  The cherry blossom also balanced out the painting quite well.  I decided not to paint any Japanese calligraphy because it would have made the painting too complex.

You can read about my Mount Fuji climbing experience, and view another painting I made of this mountain, by going to my blog post ‘Satori (Enlightenment, Awakening) Painting – Art inspired by Mount Fuji‘.

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.

Mount Fuji

Climbing Mount Fuji in the middle of the night, I was on a journey to catch the sunrise from the summit.  The increase in altitude made it hard to catch my breath as I was pushing my aching body to its limits.

I felt grateful for the pain since I knew this hike was more than a physical challenge.  I was challenging my inner strength.  When it came down to it, I was the only person on that mountain that could keep pushing me to take another step, and then another step, until I reached the top.

Challenges

Challenges, big or small, are the perfect training and reminder that you can rely on yourself when the tough gets going.  You are your best coach.  If you think that you’re not a strong individual, than I dare you to prove yourself wrong by getting out of your comfort zone and doing something you’ve always wanted to do.  People are usually much stronger than they think they are.

You can always start with something small.  It’s amazing what you’ll learn about yourself when you’re faced with any challenge in life.  Challenges give you the opportunity for an awakening.

Failure

What if you fail?  No one is perfect.  Everyone fails.  Plus, failing is learning what not to do in order to reach your goals.  It can also be the inspiration behind a new and better suited goal.  Failure is there to teach you.  It’s a good thing.

The Painting

The moon was the only light I needed to climb Mount Fuji.  It was freakishly large and clear that night.  I could hardly believe my eyes.  I felt like I was on another planet.  I wanted to portray the moon this way in my painting.

Even though I wanted to keep the painting fairly simple, I wanted to paint chaotic designs on Mount Fuji to represent the physical pain, adrenaline and eagerness I was feeling that night.  I picked the colors of fire… and I think subconsciously I equate fire with these feelings. I can’t explain why because I don’t quite understand it myself.  However, the way my mind is wired, it feels right to paint it this way.

I left the summit uncomplicated to symbolize my awakening.

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.

Zen Brushwork
Zen Brushwork, a type of calligraphy, differs from other calligraphic disciplines because it focuses on achieving mu-shin (no-mind) through meditation. It is the practice and belief that true creativity is not the product of a conscious effort but develops from mu-shin, a state beyond thought, emotions and expectations. For those who are captivated with art, Zen Brushwork can be seen as a form of true artistic expression.

Demanding the highest level of spirituality, the ability to make one’s strength visible in Zen Brushwork comes only through dedicated practice. In contrast to other calligraphic disciplines, which use Chinese characters as a basis, Zen Brushwork is the expression of Zen through a brush, whether the end result is a single stroke, a circle or a painting. Using the principles of Zen, this art form represents the relationship between the mind, body and universe.

Why my Zen Brushworks are not available to the public.
I know that if my Zen Brushworks or other more traditional Japanese calligraphy pieces were available to the public, sooner or later I’d start feeling the pressure to make it aesthetically pleasing. I started practicing Zen Brushwork to help me unwind and stay balanced, regardless of what the end product looked like or if I made mistakes. If I keep these works private, then I keep any conscious or unconscious pressures off. It’s just a personal decision I made and it works for me. I’m definitely not against people showing their Zen art to the public. I bow to those who master the brush as I’m still very early in my evolution of mastering Zen Brushwork.

Influence of Zen Brushwork on my contemporary Zen Sho Collection
The title of my contemporary Zen Sho Collection is more about honoring my practice of Zen Brushwork since it is what initially inspired me to paint contemporary Japanese themed art.
The Zen Sho Collection falls into the decorative contemporary art category and cannot be categorized as traditional Zen art. Actually, some of my paintings can be quite complicated and chaotic. Each of my paintings are influenced by my practice of Zen Brushwork in varying degrees, depending on how “Zen” I can let myself be that day.
My paintings are also greatly influenced by my experiences in Japan which include: hiking in bamboo forests; participating in Hanami night-time celebrations (cherry-blossom viewing) under hundreds of spectacular tree-hanging lanterns; going to trendy clubs in Roppongi (Tokyo); and climbing Mount Fuji to watch the sunrise above the clouds.

Why sometimes my paintings and Japanese kanji characters are repetitive.
I may be inclined to paint the same subjects or Japanese kanji characters over and over again for two reasons.
Reason #1 is that I paint what I usually want to be surrounded by and/or I try to represent my current emotions in a painting… which is pretty repetitive in itself. After the majority of the painting is done, I will look at it and usually pick Japanese kanji compounds that best describe the feeling or thought I get from the painting even though I’ve used the same Japanese characters in other paintings. I’m more focused on the feeling at the present moment, than whether or not I’m repetitive in my kanji use.
Reason #2 is that sometimes I simply enjoy making the same painting over and over again using different angles or colors. Sometimes I do it just so that I can practice different painting techniques.

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.