Northcoast Artists Gallery is holding its Annual Sale now through January 26th!

I am delighted to feature my oil painting, “Lotus,” as part of the sale. This piece is set on a 12″ x 36″ gallery wrap canvas and is currently on display at the gallery.

The lotus is one of my favorite flowers—it is just so gorgeous and elegant. I came across this beautiful sentiment that expresses my love for it perfectly:

Thought go as being like a gentle person who keeps him/herself clean, alive and healthy in a dirty environment, the lotus flower represents creative power and purity amidst adverse surroundings.

Chinese poets use the lotus flower to inspire people to continue striving through difficulties and show their best to the world no matter how had the circumstances maybe, just ad the lotus brings beauty and light from the murky darkness at the bottom of the pond.

This is the same lotus as the Sacred Lotus, Nelumbo nucifera, which is an important spiritual symbol in Eastern religions.

It represents purity, divine wisdom, and the individual’s progress from the Lowest state of consciousness to the highest. 

It acts as a reminder of the miracle of beauty, light and life.

All parts of the lotus plant are used in Chinese medicine: the seeds most commonly to nourish the Heart and calm the Spirit.

All parts of the plant are also edible.

The world is beautiful if you let it be.

This is Jug Handle Beach State Park in Caspar, California. It is one of my favorite beaches.

Whenever I visit this quiet shore, my mind feels settled, and I’m filled with a refreshing sense of clarity—as if a wide, open space has been cleared within my heart.

As I walk along, matching my pace to the rhythm of the gentle waves,  I feel my thoughts empty out and a deep sense of peace take over. It’s where I go to find my center again.

Driving south from Mendocino toward the Brewery Gulch Inn on Highway 1, I missed my turn and had to double back. Even though it wasn’t even 6:00 PM yet, it was impossibly dark—unlike a city, there were no streetlights or even a glimmer of light from nearby houses.

In that moment, I suddenly caught a fleeting sense of the atmosphere from my childhood.

I was born in Tokyo and grew up in its suburbs. Back then, even though it was a suburb of the capital, it was nothing like it is now; it was surrounded by rice paddies, fields, and woods. The houses were few and far between, tucked away on small patches of land.

Because of that, the sunsets back then felt more vivid than they do today—a very quiet, deeply evocative landscape.

I think it was that gentle light of the sunset, set against the pitch-black darkness, that stirred such a sense of nostalgia in me.

Today is the Winter Solstice. It is a sacred moment when consciousness settles into its deepest stillness, allowing the light descending from the universe to reach our innermost depths.

The light of the solstice quietly erases your ‘old sounds’ and installs a new vibration. Therefore, let go of negative words. Negativity only clouds your frequency and blurs the path ahead of you.

May your Winter Solstice be a time of deep rest and beautiful renewal. 

The last light of day was painting La Jolla beach in San Diego when I saw this group of surfers emerge. Their young, happy energy was palpable—stoked and utterly exiting after what was clearly a fresh session. It felt like they had just shrugged off the day’s commitments, school or work, and their precious free time had begun.

My painting, “666. Sunset Surfers,” is currently on display at the Northcoast Artists Gallery in Fort Bragg as part of their new exhibition, “Gathering.”

The show runs from November 6th through December 2nd. We invite you to visit the gallery and see the artwork in person!

More information at https://www.mariko-irie.com/sunsetsurfers.html

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