japanese white-eye

Yes, here in Sapporo we are still buried in snow. But temperatures are rising, and the towering, dingy-white piles are expected to start shrinking fast. Time to paint the Japanese White-eye.  This was custom-designed for a women's group that is holding their annual retreat this weekend.

carrots by any other name

I recently made a new friend by overcoming my natural desire to fade into the woodwork, and instead, reaching out to someone who looked like she felt even more out of place than I did.

Yesterday she brought over a huge pitcher full of freshly-made carrot juice, the tastiest carrot juice I have ever, ever had. I've always liked carrots, but I never loved carrots until yesterday. To celebrate this life event, I made some carrot etegami.

The card at the top says "Mr.Carrot, I had underestimated you." I'm sending this one to my new friend. I have no doubt that she will pick up on the double meaning-- a reference to my happy surprise in our new friendship.

The second card says: We are not of night nor of darkness; so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober. (I Thessalonians 5:6)

sword that gives life

Yesterday I was watching part 3 of the live action film series based on a manga called Rurouni Kenshin. Neither the manga (print) version, nor the TV (anime) version, had grabbed me when it first came out in the 90s. But the camera work/choreography of the live action film version is beautifully done, and oodles of my favorite actors feature in it.

If I had to explain the story in one sentence, it would be this: A brilliant swordsman and former assassin named Himura Kenshin vows never to take another life after the blood bath that ushers in the dawn of Japan's Meiji era, a vow that is tested over and over as he seeks atonement for his past.

So, anyway, I was watching the DVD by myself at home, and the expression "hito o ikasu ken" (sword that gives life) bounced against my ear drum. It crops up many times and in various forms in the story of Ruruouni Kenshin, but this particular time, the expression made me sit up and ponder.

I am usually very willing to suspend disbelief for the sake of a good story. But did that expression even make sense? It could refer to the fact that Kenshin carries around a custom-made sword in which the blade is inverted so that the sharp edge and dull edge are switched. The idea is that Kenshin can knock bad guys out with his sword, but he can't use it to kill. But is not killing someone the same thing as giving someone life?

Actually, it now occurs to me that the expression can also be translated as "sword that spares life," which makes more sense in the context, so maybe I was making a mountain out of a molehill. In any case, it brought to my mind a certain passage in the Bible, and it also gave me an idea for an etegami. The accompanying words are the Japanese version of the following quote:

For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12)

the sheep keep coming

I'm still working on year-of-the-sheep New Year cards for 2015. Even if I hadn't been born in the year of the sheep, I would still love to draw them. They come in such variety!

illustration friday (light)

This is a Washi Collage depicting an oil lamp. The design incorporates a quote from the Bible (John 1: 1~5). Perfect for a Christmas card.  Prints can be ordered from Redbubble.

illustration friday (peace)

wolverine

My husband's birthday is just around the corner, and since I've been painting animals like one possessed, I thought I'd do an animal etegami for him this year. Problem is, he doesn't coo over cats or dogs or turtles or horses or pandas... not even baby pandas!

So I asked him if there was any animal he felt an affinity for. He thought for a while, and surprised me with his reply. "Wolverine," he said. "...because they are feisty and don't back down from opponents that are bigger than they are."

shall not want

I did this one for a challenge on RedBubble, against a very tight deadline. I'm still out of breath.

japanese beautyberry in bloom

The Japanese name of this plant,  murasaki shikibu, is taken from Lady Murasaki, a 10th century lady of the Japanese imperial court, and famous author of The Tale of Genji. The plant represents all the elegance of a lady of the imperial court. It is normally admired for its perfectly round, tiny purple berries, which come at a different stage of its growth.

illustration friday (sweater)

Title: Bug in the Sweater Drawer. The Japanese words quote from Luke 12:33, "a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys."

tomato hearts

Many fruits and vegetables, when cut in half, display an inner heart-shape. This has always fascinated me. A bag of small tomatoes was delivered from my food co-op yesterday, so I painted them as Valentine etegami. Romantic love is well and good. I'm all for it. But that is not all there is to love. The etegami posted above is accompanied by a quote from The Sparrow's Nest, a poem by William Wordsworth (1770-1850), and speaks of family love between brother and sister.



Let us Consider refers to another kind of love expressed in a community of brothers and sisters in the faith, while Love is Not Blind, and Love is Not All were inspired by two poems by Edna St.Vincent Millay (1892-1950), about romantic love that has
matured beyond mere infatuation.

illustration friday (phenomenon)

It seems that the word phenomenon has a fairly wide range of meaning. One definition I came across was "an unaccountable fact." The words accompanying this image of a pear and apricot are from Proverbs 11:25. Like the oft-quoted phrase "The more you give the more you receive," they express a fact that is difficult to account for.