Sunday Afternoon by the Kamo River

Sunday Afternoon by the Kamo River was made by referring to life drawing on site and the memory of sitting by the Kamo River in Kyoto. Many of the Kyoto youth had been visiting shrines to ask for good partnerships, and they were dressed in traditional Japanese attire. They came to sit by the river, individually or in small groups, and joined with other people dressed in contemporary clothes, all respectfully distanced from each other. Many were using their smart phones as they quietly sat. The depiction of the Kamo River and sky as dragons is based on the hand drawn dragons by Koizumi Junsaku on the ceiling of the Kennin-Ji main Temple. The river dragon looks longingly at a girl who is focused on her phone as the air dragon retreats. This artwork shows the juxtaposition of the traditional and contemporary cultures of Japan. The artwork is 100 x 70 cm and was shown in my Japanizi exhibition of 2019 at the Macleay Valley Community Art Gallery, Gladstone, NSW, Australia.