"Enduring"

The current show in Richmond Art Gallery is called "Changing City" and is a juried show. It replaces the former "Artists Among Us" as well as the user-group shows.I decided to focus on something enduring, rather than what was being changed. My painting is about the Murakami Garden by Britannia Heritage Shipyard. It was created by a Japanese immigrant woman, an independent spirit. Instead of something confined and rigidly organized, this garden is a riot of colour and plants. I wanted the painting to go beyond the visual impact of the flowers, so I incorporated the Japanese words for "enduring", "Murakami", "living history", and "garden" by carving them into the raised texture of the fence posts. Then I also wrote English words into the foliage. It was an interesting challenge and the painting was accepted into the show.

Next, after the show ends on July 6th, there will be Open Studios for the artists in the show who indicated that they were interested in having them. This is a chance for people to visit where the artist works, see their set-up, and also see other paintings.The Open Studios are on July 7th and July 8th from Noon to 4 p.m. each day.I will be participating - and hoping that people will come to see my work.