New painting: "Naoai"

"Naoai" - oil painting on linen canvas

This is a portrait of Naoai, a maiko (apprentice geisha) from the Kamishichiken district of Kyoto, Japan.  She performed at the Horikawa light-up in August 2017.

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Recent Works

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"Portrait of Katsutomo" - oil painting on linen

This is a portrait of Katsutomo as a maiko (apprentice geisha). She recently became a geisha in 2015.

"Satsuki" - oil painting on canvas

This is a portrait of Maiko Satsuki (舞妓 紗月) from the Gion Kobu district of Kyoto, Japan. She became a geisha in 2015 and is one of the most famous in Gion Kobu.

"Maiko Toshisumi"  - oil painting on linen

This is a portrait of Maiko Toshisumi とし 純, an apprentice geisha from the Miyagawa-cho district of Kyoto, Japan.

"Gion Shirakawa"  - oil painting on canvas

This is an autumn painting of three maiko (apprentice geisha) viewed from behind in the Gion Shirakawa district of Kyoto, Japan.

"Aynur" - oil painting on linen

This is a portrait of Aynur, a girl in Istanbul, Turkey.

"Narcissus Dance" - oil painting on canvas

This is a painting of Maiko Tomitae, an apprentice geisha performing a dance at the Hanatouro festival in Kyoto, Japan.

"Study of Momeroku"  - drawing on toned paper

This is a portrait study of Maiko Mameroku, an apprentice geisha from the Gion Kobu district of Kyoto, Japan.

"An Evening in the Gion" - oil painting on linen

This is a painting of Geiko Fukue, a geisha from the Gion Kobu district of Kyoto, Japan.

"Mamefuji" - oil painting on linen

This is a portrait of Maiko Mamefuji, an apprentice geisha from the Gion Kobu district in Kyoto, Japan. She is one of the most famous maiko in Kyoto and is shown here dressed as the Japanese waka poet, "Ono no Komachi" for the Jidai Matsuri festival in 2014.

芸者アート 舞妓の絵

Ukiyo-e Studies

Here are some studies I did recently of various "Ukiyo-e" or "Pictures of the Floating World" Japanese prints.  They are all studies of prints by the 18th century Japanese master,  Kitagawa Utamaro.

April Paintings

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Toshisumi - 33cm x 24cm oil paint on linen

Lady in Waiting (Umecho) - 8" x 21" - oil on linen

"The Scarlet Fringe" - 11" x 14" oil paint on linen

International Artist Magazine April/May 2015 Article and Demo

Very honored to have been chosen for a 6 page article and demonstration in the April/May 2015 International Artist Magazine!

Charcoal drawing of a first year maiko

Here is a  charcoal drawing I did of a new maiko (apprentice geisha) from the Gion Higashi district of Kyoto, Japan.

"Komako" - 9" x 12" - charcoal drawing on toned paper

Newest Painting: "Tora Tora"

Tora Tora - 30cm x 59.5cm original oil painting on 1.5cm wood panel

My wife and I had an opportunity to have dinner with geisha and maiko in December in the Gion Kobu district of Kyoto.  After dinner, the geisha and maiko danced to the shamisen (Japanese stringed instrument) and then played drinking games with the guests.  We played a few traditional games which started out fairly easy, but became more and more difficult  as the night went on because the beer and sake were "all you can drink!"

This is a painting of a Geiko Fukue, a geisha from the Gion Kobu district of Kyoto, Japan, preparing to play the popular geisha game "Tora Tora".   Similar to paper, rock, scissor, the geisha and her guest have to adopt one of three guises: an old woman with a cane, a tiger, or a samurai warrior with a spear. The participants prepare for their roles on either side of a partition and, at the designated moment, emerge in one of the poses. The tiger eats the old lady, the samurai kills the tiger, but the old lady wins against the warrior because she is his mother. The loser must pay the penalty....drink!

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