FOLLOW ME  ON

READ HERE

ABOUT MY RECENT AND

FASCINATING ADVENTURES...

GREAT BEAR RAINFOREST

  In the southern part of Yamanashi Prefecture bordering Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan's tallest mountain, Mount Fuji, rises 3,776 meters (12,380 ft) above sea level. The mountain is most beautiful from October to May when the top of the mountain is covered with snow, and for the more adventurous the climbing season runs from July to September. Near Mount Fuji lie the Fuji Five Lakes district. Lake Kawaguchi is a good starting point to climb Mount Fuji, and it also provides access to Mount Tenjo which has some wonderful views of Mount Fuji and the surrounding lakes.

  Today is cherry blossom festival at Shibata castle. I went again into the courtyard of the castle to paint one of the towers. The day started with slight drizzle but as I got going with my painting the clouds cleared up and I was rewarded with dry painting weather. After completion of the painting I wondered into the cherry tree grounds where there was sword cutting edge competition. The local Kendo and Iai-do masters where holding a competition to cut wet rice bundles with perfect one swift katana stroke. The bundles are soaked over night to provide toughness and tightness. As I was photographing and filming the event one of the masters asked me if I am interested in Japanese swords. After explaining that I do, and have experience in martial arts they invited me to try a cut following the end of competition. Since I never used live katana, I was slightly apprehensive, but willing to give a try.

  Since all the practitioners were cotton tabis I took off my shoes and stepped into wet grounds with my bare feet. That earned me instant respect from the approving nods of surrounding masters. I was handed a sword, which felt very comfortable, approached the rice bundle stand and cut it with one swift stroke. I did not know what to expect, but decided to use my karate hip-weight distribution. The skill paid off and instantly guys were asking if I had some previous experience. After giving them some background into my martial art history, they asked me to try again. Once again I cut the bundle with one swift stroke. I think I created a lot off buzz since there were a lot of curious onlookers. One of the masters asked me if I would be interested in joining their association.

  From what my Japanese friends told me it was very unusual thing to happened, that the foreigner was given live blade katana and on top of it succeed in cutting the bundles in succession with one stroke. As I was explained not many people could do that at first try. It was a privilege and the honour to experience such event in a beautiful setting surrounded by cherry blossoms and towering structuers of Shibata castle.

  Iga Ueno Castle was initially built by Sadatsugu Tsutsui but was expanded and converted to its present form after Takatora Todo succeeded Sadatsugu in 1611. Uncanny in his military prowess and political sense, Takatora sided with Tokugawa Ieyasu at the decisive Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 after serving the Toyotomi Hideyoshi shogunate. Takatora was also renowned as one of the finest castle architects of his time. The castle is the centerpiece of Ueno City and is located in its main Park alongside the Ninja Yashiki and Basho Memorial Museums.

  The castle tower was reconstructed as a five story wooden building in 1935 embodying the essence of the Momoyama style architecture of the late 16th century. With its elegant white walls, the castle is also known as the 'Hakuho' or 'white phoenix' castle for its resemblance to the fabled sacred white bird resting in green leaves.

  Fushimi Inari Shrine is the most famous of several thousands of shrines dedicated to Inari across Japan. Inari is the Shinto God of rice, and foxes are thought to be his messengers. Therefore, many fox statues can be found at Inari shrines.

  Fushimi Inari Shrine is also famous for the countless torii gates, offerings by worshippers, that cover the hiking trails of Inarisan, the wooded mountain behind the shrine's main buildings. It takes about two hours to walk along the whole trail.

Kitsune Udon ("Fox Udon"), a noodle soup topped with pieces of aburaage (fried tofu), a favorite food of foxes, is served at small restaurants along the hiking trail.

  It was one of those perfect moments in life when things work out well. My trip to Japan was on my list for as long as I can remember. Since early age I was fascinated with Japanese culture, its arts and people. For last 23 years I have been practicing Karate and other martial arts and it has imbedded me with mental and physical discipline. The trip to Japan was a natural extension of those interests. With the help and support of my agent and publishers at Nature’s Scene I left for a one-month journey to across Japan visiting its most magnificent sites.

  Since it was spring it was my objective to paint and photograph cherry blossoms, which are a quintessential symbol of Japan. After landing in Osaka I traveled by car to Hiroshima to visit Peace Park and Hiroshima monument. The city has surprised me with peaceful and positive energy and first painting was done along the river painting a bombed out building. It took me over 4 days to recover from the jet leg and the extreme time change. Instead of bringing tubes of paint with me, I purchased Holbein brand in Japan and was very happy with its quality.

  From Hiroshima I traveled north visiting Himeji, largest fortification castle in all Japan. Weather was not cooperating; I was challenged by severe rain, wind and cold. It was not the ideal weather to paint, but made me work so much harder. Only in Osaka the weather change and was able to paint in relative comfort its amazing shrines, temples and castle. Besides its historical heritage Osaka is currently the cultural and fashion centre of Japan. Its people are outgoing, dynamic, everywhere I looked I was bombarded with colorful imagery of neon signs, advertisements and store displays. 

  From Osaka I moved on to Kyoto the medieval capital of Japan. The city is small by Japanese standards but is full of historical sites. Shrines, temples are around each corner and it takes probably a month to see everything that Kyoto has to offer. My most memorable experience was painting at Fushimi Inari Shrine where I nearly went hypothermic due to snow and prolonged exposure to elements. Since I did not expect such bad weather in Japan I did not bring too much warm mountaineering clothing with me, but at least the weather gave me a lasting memories.

  Just as Kyoto, Nara was the also the first capital of ancient Japan. After a couple of weeks of constant travel and painting I got sick and spend a whole day in bed. My body was tired and I need a rest. The traditional Japanese inn was a great place to recuperate. While in Nara I visited I Iga-Ueno castle, which was the place of origin for the Iga-ryu Ninjitsu School in medieval Japan. At the castle I was treated to great weapon demonstrations and fighting skills.

  From Nara I took a bullet train to Mount Fuji area, where I traveled around the Five Lake District. Unfortunately the weather was cloudy and only on two occasions I see the entire mountain. At such one occasion I photographed mount Fuji at sunrise and it was one of the most peaceful experiences I had in my life. The great red circle of the sun rose slowly over horizon and illuminated the clouds and mountains below. Mount Fuji was the compositional anchor of whole landscape like great conductor of times gone by.

  My final leg of the journey was to Shibata and Nikko. At Shibata I painted extensively the remaining ruins of the Shibata Castle. Being there for few days, it allowed me to get good sense of community and its people. I have enjoyed so much the hospitality of the local people. The language barrier was frustrating at times, but I tried my best and everybody around me was so accommodating. In Nikko I visited the ancient grounds of the Toshogu temple, which is also a mausoleum of all the Shoguns till Meiji restoration. The site also provided me with the inspiration for the first studio painting of Japan.

  In September 2009 I finally made it to Central Alaska and Denali National Park area. This was my third attempt; two previous ones were cut short by the transmission failures of my vehicles.

  This time I made it no problem and explored Denali first. I hit the colours right at its peak, the weather was fantastic and it was a very productive trip. Denali Park was full of visitors and a very different scene from the silence and solitude of the Yukon and northern BC. The highlight of the first week was seeing Mnt. McKinley, the highest mountain on North American continent.

  Following week I returned to Denali hwy, a road that follows Alaska Mountain Range. It is not busy road since it is extremely rough and suitable mostly for trucks and off-road vehicles. The only people I have seen driving were mostly hunters. Moose season was in full swing there with gunshots resonating through the landscape from sunrise to sunset.

  Painting on the tundra was a fantastic experience. My camp was an ideal spot with 360 views of mountains, lakes and rivers around me. Usually I would expect snow and below 0C temperatures, but the autumn had some unusual warm weather. It made life much easier, but also put in perspective global warming and its effect on the far north.

  From Alaska Range I moved to Kenai Peninsula where encountered rain and have fog. The painting was challenging and painted mostly under the cover of tarp. Thankfully the most promising adventure lay ahead of me. In Anchorage I met up with Jon again and we traveled east on Glenalen Hwy and camped at the Matanuska Glacier. The landscape was dramatic punctuated by blue descending glaciers and fast moving rivers below in the valleys. Towards the end of September we ended up in the Wrangler-St. Elias National Park near McCarthy and Kennicott. This isolated part of Alaska has a large concentration of glaciers and is also a UNESCO heritage site in conjunction with Kluane National Park in Canada.

  The painting in the St. Elias was just a joy; colours were its peak with no wind and mostly warm temperatures. I have been there before in 1998 but in the summer. This time the autumn colours of the area made huge impression on me and so far I think it one of the best areas to paint and photograph autumn colours.

JAPAN

CENTRAL  ALASKA

  In the beginning of May I was invited with other British Columbia artists to paint in spectacular location on the West Coast. The Hakai Beach Institute located on the Calvert Island just south of Bella Bella invited us. It is a wonderful wilderness lodge which in the past only catered to fishing. The new owners Eric and Christina had new vision for this legendary and almost supernaturally beautiful property on Calvert Island on the British Columbia Central Coast. The site will be occupied by a nonprofit organization, the Hakai Beach Institute, which is funded by the Tula Foundation (www.tula.org). The Institute will house programs that foster Ecosystem Based Management of the ecological and cultural treasures.

  My friend David Mceown and I flew to  Bella Bella from Vancouver where we joined the other members. Eric picked us up at Bella Bella in a great 660 hp water taxi. With in two hours we were at Hakai Inlet. The crew at the lodge was working franticly to prepare for the upcoming gathering of the Coastal Watchmen and the Native People of the area. As artist I felt incredibly grateful and privilege to create in such beautiful spot. The hospitality of Eric and Christina was outstanding and we rewarded them with evenings filled with paintings created that day. Calvert Island consisted of many beaches of fine sand; inter tidal pools filled with mussels, starfish and other sea creatures. The old growth forest covering the island is stunted due to extreme winds and storms that happen here all year round.

On the last day when I run out boards to paint on I explored the inlet in sea kayak. The area offers countless painting opportunities and I am looking forward to paint