Reflections of Autumn 53x45.5

I expressed my favourite season, autumn, through this work. Summer in Japan is something that needs to be survived. People here see summer as an ordeal. When autumn truly arrives with the sound of crickets and the gentle evening breeze, it signals a return to normality for us. A chance to turn off the air conditioning in which we have lived for 2 months, to escape the pervasive humidity that means the nights are as hot as the days. You can almost hear nature breathe a sigh of relief. True beauty is ephemeral, almost impossible to grasp and rapidly loses its lustre and that's why I think humans are naturally attracted to it. The Japanese mountains in autumn are truly beautiful. The many colours show us the famous beauty of Japan, calm yet alive. And so I decided to express this seasonal beauty through the traditional Japanese fruits and vegetables of autumn. The cold steel of the knife whispering that death in the form of winter is on the way.

Through this work I was able to learn how composition truly affects a painting. It requires time and effort to study. I truly believe that you can only see it after looking at many famous paintings by the great artists who have been through their own journeys of realisation. Training your brain to be still enough to open your eyes and allow the scene to touch your soul.