Kaleidoscope

TSUNEKO YAMAUCHI

An international meeting of china painters, who love white porcelain painting, was held from July 3 to 7 in Dallas, Texas and I took part in it. This meeting is held once every two years and this was the 14th meeting. About 3000 china painters gathered from the U.S., Japan, the U.K., China, and Australia. The theme this time was 'Kaleidoscope.' Works with various themes and colors were exhibited at the hotel where the meeting was held and some artists demonstrated painting.

As I watched the pieces exhibited at the international meeting, I noticed that the climate where the painters came from affected their works a lot. For example, a painter from New England, which has four beautiful seasons, painted colorful flowers and fruits with deep colors. On the other hand, a painter from Texas, which has vast grasslands, painted luxurious large blooms. I think such expression is the reverse of the harsh natural environment.

I demonstrated painting for the first time in this meeting. The organizer asked me to paint something Japanese, so I decided to paint peonies on a vase in a Rin-like style. (Note: The Rin School is a school of painting in the Edo period of 17th to 18th centuries. The pieces of the Rin School vary from painting to porcelain and furniture.) I'm happy that I can say 'yes' when I am asked to paint something Japanese. Japan has unique beauty which has been created through its history and climate. We have Japanesque composition and colors as our tradition. People who came to my demonstration were happy to see exotic painting with a Japanesque theme.

We admire beauty around us and, at the same time, long for something that we don't have. At this meeting, where china painters gathered from different places of the world, colors and composition, which were greatly affected by the history and climate of each place, made up what we didn't have and created the infinite beauty of a kaleidoscope.