I just came back from Japan. It was winter. I live in the coast side of San Diego, so even it’s in winter, and the temperature wouldn’t go down below 50degree. I spent time in mountains for a week. The house built for summer and only small electric heater. So I got amazing experiences.

I was in Pacific side in Japan. The center of the Honshu Islands is mountains. In winter wet wind comes from the East and hit the mountains, so the Japan Sea side gets snow or rain in winter, but the Pacific side it’s cold, dry and very rear snow.

Where I stayed, they had snow end of the last December. There are snow left in shady places. It makes a view so charming.

The local person gave me a warning on the fist day. So I turned on electricity on the pipe out side and run water a little bit all night, so the pipes didn’t freeze. But every thing has water on them got frozen. I left the water the outside faucet run. The water from the faucet didn’t get frozen, but where the water landed, dead weeds were surrounded, created beautiful crystals. The crystals got bigger and thicker everyday.

Almost everyday I wake up just before the dawn around 6:30am. That time is marvelous light. The air was so cold and dry. It was 15 degree at the fist day of before dawn. The outside was getting lighter and mountains’ color changed from gray to reddish purple, shadow were Ultramarine. I started painting in watercolor. The watercolor on the paper started crystallized and created beautiful pattern. I still have the painting, because the paint remained the crystal pattern. It’s beautiful and fascinated.

I painted this “102. Waiting for spring in Miasa” in 1999.

Miasa in Japan and Mendocino CA in U.S are a sister City. Artist/founder of Mendocino Art Center Bill Zacha and Internationally famous Japanese Woodblock Artist/ Miasa Art Center founder Toshi Yoshida worked together to made happen to be a sister city between Miasa and Mendocino in 1982. Every other year middle school students visit from Miasa to Mendocino, and the other every other year middle school students from Mendocino to Miasa. It’s a great event. The year a boy from Miasa stayed my home, and the boy wished to go to Middle school in Mendocino. My son, ken wanted to stay in Japan as well. So his parents and I worked to happen. In spring 1999, Japanese school starts in first of April, I took my son to his home stay. This view was in front of their house. During staying their house, I visited Museum of Kaii Higashiyama who is one of my favor traditional Painter (Nihon-Ga) a couple of times in Nagano prefecture. It might be influenced by paintings of Kaii Higashiyama. Anyway after I painted this painting, I felt so good. He said that he was let be and let him paint. He didn’t think that he was painting all the time.

It’s covered with snow, then a fantastic world appears. There is an expression “makeup by snow” in Japanese.

I painted this “131. From Mt. Bachelor” in 2001 when we went to skiing. I don’t use white paint for watercolor. White is paper itself. I designed the front of the painting is a big white space which was deep snow. The shadows on snow were just sweet. It was a little cloudy, and the cloud was so beautiful and watercolor accidentally created just what I wanted. That was the first time we went to Mt. Bachelor in Oregon. People are so kind there.

I wondered if we could have a white Xmas at Yosemite, it would be wonderful. When I was talking with my friend, who performs at Brace Bridge Dinner: http://bracebridgedinner.com/ every year, I told that. Then we got an opportunity to be there with them around Xmas time. Even we got snow.  It was a great performing. What a nice Xmas memory.

We got snow, so I was happy, I dressed super warm with my watercolor gears. When I got the bridge, I was going to paint out there. I had never painted in so cold place. Before I brushed on watercolor paper, watercolor got frozen on a brush. It was amazing. When I got home in nice warm studio I painted “166. Snow on a sand bank (Yosemite)”. I used Gold Leaf pieces along the bank. So I paste gold leaf pieces on Giclee prints as well. When I was showing the original of this painting at Winesong event (fundraising for the hospital in Fort Bragg), the person purchased the print of this image before, purchased the original painting and donated good money for the hospital as well.

It was cold outside, but it was nice warm inside of the Ahwahnee hotel, which was built in 1925. They have very tall beautiful windows. The tall window made the painting “169. Snow view from the Ahwahnee” very interested in. Outside was so cold snowing and two small birds on the twig gave me a sweet moment. A person purchased the original painting was past away, but her family came to my last show at the Northcoast Artists Gallery, told me that they love the painting very much. A lot of people love the image, so one year I made Xmas card with the image. People told me that the card is one of saving cards forever. It’s nice to hear.

When I was staying in San Diego in 2008, at that time I was not living in San Diego yet. I couldn’t find my scene for painting in San Diego. Then I started to think about human’s beauty and I wondered if people forgot human is a part of nature.

Japanese woodblock, Ukiyo-e influenced to design this Girls’ series.

I’m always interested in lines.  When I was Art university student in Tokyo, figure drawings of Hokusai Katsusika fascinated me. Beautiful floating lines of Aubrey Beardsley, Alfons Maria Mucha. Ben Shahn’s lines are very unique. I love his “Cat’s cradle”. It’s only lines. Two hands with many strings.　 http://plaza.rakuten.co.jp/pess5547/diary/200806160001/

I love lines of Katazome, which is Japanese stencil dye technique. They brush persimmon juice onto rice paper and steam. They repeat the process to make very strong and crispy paper for Katazome stencil. Cutting the Katazome stencil with very sharp blade creates beautiful unique and fascinating lines. My favor artists of Katazome are Keisuke Serizawa, Toshijiro (Nenjiro) Inagaki and Isa Toshihiko.

This original of “233. Woman’s Back” was only line drawing in Gouache with brush on Rough Watercolor paper. Rough surface and brush stroke create very fascinating texture to the lines. Also brush makes thick, thin, variety lines. I use the character to look like three dimensions. Who bought this work, loved the way came out. And she purchased “232.Woman sitting” as well.

There is a cooperative gallery in Fort Bragg CA, which is named the Northcoast Artists gallery. It’s a professional artists’ gallery. I’m so proud of being a member for 20 years.

When we had a show which theme was RED at the Northcoast Artists gallery in 2008.  I put red on the background of “233. Woman’s Back” in a computer to make Giclee print. This kind of Giclee Print is my new printmaking. I used to do printmaking. I did Etching, Monotype, Serigraph and woodblock. I love graphical design. All of printmaking are very interesting media.

Women who are so different shape of bodies, came to me and told me that “233. Woman’s Back”. looks like them. I love to hear that, because I think that they love the design, feel to close to the image. And a lot of women purchased prints of  “233. Woman’s Back”.

In 2010, I painted “348.Woman’s Back in Red” in Oil on 24” x 24” Gallery Wrap Canvas. It’s same design as “233. Woman’s Back”. But this time I designed to be red on background. I painted yellow first, and Magenta and Cadmium red to create slightly texture. It came out marvelous. When a painting came out very good, I don’t feel like I painted the painting, just it’s done. It’s a big painting. The person purchased this painting for his wife’s birthday. They are a beautiful couple.

My Girls’ series is at my website www.mariko-irie.com under Figure.

I love to watch the ocean. Waves come and go, and the more I stare into them, the faster time flies away.

I heard that when a wave comes, at that time a baby is born and when wave goes, at that time a person dies. I don’t know if it’s true or not. But it makes sense to me visually. And when baby is born, at fist baby breathes out and when a person dies, probably he/she breathes in.

Some people goes to ocean to pray for the year at Sunrise on New Year’s day in the East side of Japan. Watching the sun comes out from the ocean, it’s very special and splendid feeling.

Before I painted these paintings, I watched waves for hours as sketching, because when I sketch, I remember a scene better. Also as sketching, I design my painting, and I want to paint everything as deeply as I can, including all atmosphere which I felt there.

161. Ocean - watercolor, 11" x 30"

I painted “161. Ocean” in watercolor in 2003. It’s more difficult than in oil, because I can’t just add more paint to cover up mistakes. So, I planned carefully and painted, wet into wet, and sprayed water on the painting to create fascinating texture.

306. Ocean 2 - 36" x 12"oil on wrapped canvas

Oil is different. It’s very forgiving. So when I painted “306. Ocean II”, I painted more freely, and painted till done. After I painted, I felt so good. The result was the oil painting had a more spontaneous and realistic appearance than watercolor one.  Their quality and nature are different.  I love both of them. Watercolor is much finer pigment than oil paint. So, it’s too bad that it looks faded on the screen and fine details don’t show up as clearly. Whenever I run into the man who bought “161. Ocean” in watercolor, he mentions that he enjoys the painting every day.

I took me a log time to decide to start a blog, partly because of my English. I came to this country (U.S.A) from Japan in 1982, and my English is still not “English.” My friends called my English MarEnglish. Or some nice people say,  “Your English is like poetry.” Probably Japanese Language is like poetry.

Anyways, I really want to communicate with you.  So I’m going to start… “All for the simple purpose of sharing” ~Wikipedia founder, Jimmy Wales.

I’d like to announce that my painting “ Highwater” is juried in “Outstanding Visual Artists” of the region, and my other painting “Lonesome boat at the Tuna Harbor” is juried in First Paint Out Juried Competition.

Both of the shows are at the San Diego Art Institute/ Museum of Living Artist at the Balboa Park.
Shows run from December 10, 2010 to January 16, 2011

320. Highwater - 30" x 40" oil on wrapped canvas

I love the painting “Highwater” very much. I collaborated with my son, Ray on this painting. Ray photographed an old barn after a flood, with his cell phone, and e-mailed it to me. The photo inspired me to paint this painting. It’s very simple and good composition… I’m always amazed by his composition. It’s at Sunset in winter in Northern California. It’s soothing and some kind of feeling touches my heart. Some artist said at the opening party, “This painting needed to be this big.” I was so happy to hear that. This painting is oil on 30” x 40” wrapped canvas.