i'm pretty sure that this is my 1000th post. the first post on the golden fish was created and shared on august 26th 2007. i see from that post that i have more-or-less stuck to the original intent of the blog which has been to unpack who and what i am through sharing my perception of "the big now" which is the place where my past, my present, and my future-becoming-present all meet.
i have been very fortunate to meet wonderful, amazing, clever, creative and kind spirits on a similar journey of sharing their experience of this world (and others!) in a manner that suggests they see beneath the surface.
well below the surface!
you see,
i value depth of perception!
so thankyou to my many visitors from all over the world for sharing your worlds and for visiting mine.
i am learning so much from each of you.
~
now speaking of kind spirits on a similar journey . . .
i came across this beautiful image on delwyn's blog.
it appears as an illustration of part of one of her longer walks entitled the "nakasendo walk", an amazing journey through a part of japan that has been traversed by famous artists and poets for centuries. take the walk yourself - it's an amazing travelogue and an art gallery come to life carefully and thoughtfully melded together.
in the last year of his life, hasui was made a "living national treasure" in japan.
can you imagine?
a person being valued to that degree!!!
i could look at this image for hours.
it says so much.
it tells so many stories.
i could live there and write, paint, make music . . . and dream, oh yes dream about all that was,
all that could have been,
all that might be . . . .
~
but what i'd really like would be to have met hasui himself.
i'd invite him to this beautiful home for green tea.
i'd ask him how he knew to create his incredible artwork.
i'd especially ask him how he learned so much about the experience of rain that he could recreate the complete sensation of rain . . . on paper.
i'd ask him about his life.
16 comments:
Hello Steven
I wondered how you were going to post on Omiya when I saw the title...thank you for the link and generous comments.
I read that many of the Ukiyo-e artists painted rain well for two reasons - one that they most often painted seasonal imagery and second because it rains a lot...and therefore it is representative of Japanese life ...
you might need to learn Japanese first...
Happy days
hi delwyn, you're welcome. my daily visits to your blog are inspiring and happy-making times for me!!! i loved the nakasendo walk series especially, also that you share so mcuh japanese woodblock art. i think it would be incredible to be able to paint a rainy day in such a way as to convey the complete sensation of rain. i can't say that there hasn't been a shortage of rainy inspiration here this summer!!!! have a lovely day by the river - moonboot free!!!! hurray! steven
Steven:
1000 posts - congratulations, that is an accomplishment to be recognized and celebrated! The quantity is certainly worthy of mention, but I come here for the quality of the content in your posts - And to maintain such a high standard through 1000 publishings - well, I can only aspire to do half as well - if that.
The image you share is lovely. I like the mystery of it.
Hope I will be here to say Congrats when you reach the 2000th post!
hello bonnie, thankyou!! i'm not sure why i care that i've posted that many entries - i think it's more for myself as i am amazed that i have not only stuck with this project but also that i have truly enjoyed almost every single moment of it!! i love the research, the writing, the comments, taking the pictures, the whole thing!!! i hope that i am here to post a 2000th post! thanks so much for your thoughtful and kind comments. steven
Oh my -- what a post!
I have taken more than one nakasendo walk in Japan. There was a time when I walked the paths Samurai Warriors (戦国無双: Sengoku Musou in Japan walked and rice farmers and Shinto priests and then, realistically, the path of Occupation. A time to hug kids with running noses, and smile at gramps and grannies in the hot tubs. I met some national living treasures of paper making, for example. I was just too damn young to appreciate the experiences. God I wish I was there then with a Canon EOS Digital Camera like I have today. As it was I only had a Canon 35 mm film camera but still managed to record enough of the reconstruction period that the photos are all stored in the Sendai Museum of History and Folklore.
Anyway, thanks for visiting my Pick a Peck of Pixels blog. I really appreciate it as much as I apprecate seeing and reading your thoughtful blog posts.
I slept under a blanket last night. This has been the coldest July ever recorded here in Ohio where we live. And it was only 59 F here this morning. August is starting out to be more of the same. I fear a climate change is on the way and each year will disrupt the lives of more birds and butterflies to say nothing about the polar bears.
What a beautiful print. Very evocative.
Comgrats on the 1000th. It seems far in the future to me.
The image is beautiful, as is your luminous blog, Steven. We're all one thousand times richer because you decided to get into the blog river and float merrily merrily merrily along with the rest of us.
We're so lucky! One thousand more?? Why not?
abe - you're in the middle of a fascinating and fantastic life!!!! wow. i sometimes think about what i would have been able to do or inclined to do had i had better technology back when i was younger. especially when i was a kid. there's lots gone that i would have recorded - an entire world that is melded inside this world and only present in my memory - which is suspiciously prone to romanticizing those times and experiences!! by the way - the temp. here last night was 53 fahrenheit!! welcome to august. what's interesting about the climate change piece is that the climate when viewed zone by zone is upposed to be mvoing north bringing different birds and animals into our region. my experience is that there are fewer varieties of the same birds who have always been here. we shall see. have a great day abe. steven
hi ellen, i'm glad that you enjoyed the print! it's interesting to me that some images carry so much sensory and emotional weight. they tie into unfinished wistful life business or reinforce your experiencing of some finished life business!!
don't worry about numbers - really i shouldn't have mentioned it but i'm astonished at myself for having written that much more than anything!!! have a lovely day. steven
hi reya, thanks for that glowing compliment! i was very afraid when i started writing. i felt like i was posing in front of a mirror. what's that all about?!!
but it's been like making a hula hoop spin 'round my waist. don't think as much about shaking my ass, be the hoop and it's so much easier. the blog is as true to me as it can be. finding so much wealth as a result of sharing has been a huge blessing in so many ways!! have a gorgeous day!! steven
1000?! Wow, congratulations, Steven. I love your insightful, peaceful and intriguing blog. Here's to 1000 more wonderful posts. xo
You and Delwyn leave wonderful love letters for the whole world each day. I look forward to my visits to your sites. Thank you!
hi willow - thankyou for that very generous compliment!! to be honest i think i owe as much to blogs like yours for your insightful, honest, lovely take on life!! have a sweet day at the manor!!! steven
dan thanks for that compliment and i love the idea that delwyn and i leave love letters for the world. she has such a calm, peaceful understanding of the world that i love to begin my day with. i am so grateful for the insight and deep understanding that you express and share in your own writing dan. have a lovely day out there!!! steven
Steven, congratulations on your 1000th post. Wow!! :)
And yes, that is fantastic artwork. It really moves me and I agree that so much is said within it. I so want to go to that place and pull from it what I can! :D
PS LOVE the movie "The Bucket List". :)
hi amelia, thanks so much. i'm glad that you were able to see this picture for all that it is. i started in on the bucket list and had to back away and have another run at it. it's such a beautiful film with a life affirming message. have a lovely evening. steven
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