The Orchid and Patience

At the end of its blooming cycle, the orchid is less appealing without its stunning flowers.  However, with continuous nurturing of the orchid, one day it will unexpectedly bloom again.  Your patience is rewarded.

My Impatience

Although I’m a Canadian artist, 90% of my customers used to be Americans buying art to furnish new homes and buildings.  By early 2008, I could feel the economic crisis begin to sneak up on my business.  However, in September 2008, it hit me right in the wallet.  I lost about 80% of those customers within a few months, and my struggle as a self-representing artist began. (more…)

The bonsai tree is the perfect representation of how being unique is truly beautiful.  By carefully and patiently crafting yourself to be authentic, you don’t blend into the background.  You grow into an eclectic, inspirational soul.

I love painting bonsai trees because I don’t care too much about ‘fitting in’ or ‘following the crowd’.  This was especially obvious in my high school years.  I was called a freak quite a few times, was constantly made fun of the way I looked and dressed, got my head smashed into a locker (and locked in a locker once) and people had trouble categorizing me into a group or ‘click’.

Even though I felt misunderstood and my heart was aching for a good 6 years, I knew that someday I’d look back and think, “This is ridiculous”.  So, I kept on learning how to be my own person no matter the criticism, the rumors, and the betrayal of friends. (more…)

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‘. (more…)

Bamboo, plum blossoms and orchids are very popular subjects in Japanese art. In addition to their obvious beauty, each plant symbolizes particular human characteristics. (more…)

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. (more…)

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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.

(more…)

Buy the Bushidō - Samurai Print

Bushidō means “The Way of the Warrior”, the unwritten code of conduct for the samurai warrior of ancient Japanese, and includes:

Gi – Justice

Yū – Bravery

Jin – Benevolence

Rei – Politeness

Makoto – Veracity

Meiyo – Honor

Chūgi – Loyalty

Buy the 7 Codes of Bushidō Print

To some extent, the Bushidō code is similar to the concept of chivalry.

I find this balance between violent behavior and honor fascinating. Even though we’re now in the 21^st century, the Bushidō Code can still guide us in managing conflicts and living an authentic life.

Too often, I’m quick to equate violence with revenge and protecting your own honor; which sounds ridiculous because how can anyone take your honor unless you hand it over to them yourself? When the words violence, conflict and war come to mind, I habitually think of violence originating from hatred, revenge and corruption. Running through my mind are thoughts of gangs, school bullies and abusive parents (just to name a few). (more…)

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. (more…)

Buy the Seika (Sacred Fire) Print

Ever had one of those days where everything seems to be going wrong?  Well, today was my day.

It started out early this morning with a migraine. I could hardly sleep with the nauseating pain and I was really counting on a good night’s sleep since my energy seems to be missing in action lately.Everything went downhill ever since.

Here’s some math for you…

Sleepless Night + Soniei + A Pinch of Migraine Leftovers = Miss Grumpy Pants

My day was so bad that I was thinking, “I’m gone to bed. I can’t deal with today anymore”. Satisfied with my decision, I got up from my desk and accidentally spilled a glass of water all over my Japanese lesson notes. Nice. Great. Terrific. After I cleaned up the mess, I was on my way to crawl into bed and hide from today for awhile. (more…)