On March 6-16, 2024, I traveled to Japan with my good friend Jason. It was pretty much my very first international trip, and it was stunning.
We were just a touch too early for the annual cherry blossoms that burst into bloom all over the island. However, we just caught the very beginning whispers on our cameras, and I was inspired to create a painting about the magical stirrings anticipating this miracle… Metaphorical new beginnings!
Another place of inspiration, in Kyoto, was the Fushimi Inari shrine with the famous bright orange gates that lead up to the pinnacle of a small mountain. Jason and I did not hike the mountain, but we did get photos of the main front gate and enjoyed ourselves in tamer explorations.
The Fushimi Inari front gate became a symbol of faith for me, and also made it into my painting.
This is a short video of the beginning of this painting.
Torching Cherry Blossoms
Following the torching of the basswood, I carved the design back in and stepped back and pondered.
Do I want this to be realistic?
Certainly, there are elements of realism in this beginning. And as humans we abstract from reality constantly, often losing our frame of reference of what reality actually is. Because each of us has an absolutely unique brain, it is impossible for any of us to see the world the same way.
The closest we can come are agreements based on our senses and our languages. Like philosophy, politics, religion, and other areas of thoughtful constructs, art can wander the ambiguous, creative, thoughtful paths but also plays with what we understand our senses to perceive that usually most of us can agree on.
Photographs are frozen visual input… But I want to wander.
So I will wander the edges of reality and take elements of design and technique that suggest the fantastic.
This photo of my progress with this painting is the most current, as of the writing of this blog post.
In the painting, a cherry blossom branch is in the foreground, but playfully shoots behind the gate in the background. The interaction of these symbols, for me, is like my curiosity about which notion blossomed first: new beginnings or faith?
What’s Next for Cherry Blossoms?
My plans for the continuation of this painting include playing with the foreground, incising paint into the carved areas in places and sanding, and bringing forth the cherry blossoms, of course. And I want to add a fog/steam element at the last because I find it enchanting and inspiring like curiosity. A fitting stage for wandering new beginnings and faith at the edges of reality!
Please do return to my website in the coming months to see if this painting evolved. Curiosity is a quality I hope to strive for till my last days, and cultivating it is how to make opportunities for joy!
Consider subscribing to my website, if you haven’t already, especially if you are a fellow curious wanderer.
– Gretchen Weitemier