私なりの早春を描いた作品だ。霧が立ち込める夕暮れの空間。一斉に鳥や蝶がまるでこの男が守神であるが如く、癒しを求め帰巣してくる。この事を別段、不思議とも思わず淡々と受け入れる日常。その刹那、機関車が通り過ぎようと姿を現す。その速度で桜の花弁が散って、部屋の中に舞い込む。この作品はちょっとしたいたずら書き程度の想像のスケッチから始まった。参考になったのは、以前、拝見させてもらった、今にもつぶれそうなメジロ専門の鳥籠屋の室内にうず高く積まれた空っぽの籠の山。それを見た時、その寂れたそれでいて不思議な光景が脳裏に非常なインパクトとなって焼き付けられた。そして、想像は次第に膨らみ、神秘的なイメージへと徐々に変容していった。だが、私が神秘と感じるのはどのような事象なのだろう。それは神々でもなければ、いわんや宗教でもなく‥、あっ、そうなのだ、自然の冷気やそれが漂う一種のあの世とこの世が曖昧に手を結んだかのような空間が私の霊的な磁場なのだと気がついた。その想念が元になり、あとは手が勝手に動き、あっという間にこの絵の小さなデッサンが仕上がった。その元となったデッサンを絵に移行する際、心がけたのが、大気の流れだった。次は私が架空に作った村の中に住まわせた一人の鳥籠を作るのを生業にしている貧しい青年のまどろんだ表情。ヒカンザクラ。何処にでもあるようで、実は居場所を持たない闇を友とするような場と空間。そんな絵が描きたくて私は筆を取った。This artwork depicts my interpretation of early spring. The evening sky is engulfed in mist, and birds and butterflies flock together as if this man istheir guardian deity, seeking solace and returning to their nests.
This seemingly ordinary daily occurrence is accepted calmly, without any sense ofwonder. In that moment, a locomotive appears, as if about to pass by. The cherry blossom petals scatter at its speed, swirling into the room. This piecebegan as a simple sketch, a whimsical imagining. It was inspired by a sight I had seen before, a room in a dilapidated birdcage shop specializing in white-eyes, with a towering mountain of empty cages. When I saw that desolate yet peculiar scene, it left a profound impact imprinted in my mind. Gradually, myimagination expanded, transforming into a mystical image.
But what exactly makes something mystical in my perception? It is not about gods or religion… Ah, that’s right. It dawned on me that the cold air of nature and the ambiguous space where the realms of the spiritual and theearthly intertwine form my spiritual magnetic field. With that thought in mind, my hands moved on their own, and in no time, a small sketch of this artworkwas completed. When transferring the essence of that sketch into the painting, I focused on capturing the flow of the atmosphere.
Next, I created a young,impoverished man living in a fictional village, whose livelihood revolves around crafting birdcages. He has a dreamy expression on his face. The name ofthe cherry blossom tree is Hikanzakura. It appears commonplace but holds a space and environment that lacks a sense of belonging, embracing the darknessas its companion. It is this kind of painting that I desired to create, so I picked up my brush.
