Here is a beautiful painting done by one David Titterington in the year 2000 (if I am to believe the information written on the back). It seems to have been painted in Japan, at least I hope so. It could have been painted later, in America, from a picture taken in Japan. It is done in watercolor. This painting was given to me by Mr. Titterington many years ago (2003-ish). I love the subtle changes in color as the light wafts over moss on the big stones in the front. The little stone buildings behind the mossy stones are part of Japanese tradition. The Japanese have kept a strong bond to nature throughout history, beginning with the original religion of Japan, shinto. Shintoism is a nature based religion. The main idea is that everything in nature has a spirit, has an energy. From trees, to grass, to rocks, to oceans, to animals, everything has a unique energy that gathers as it is able to exist in its natural environment. The Japanese people began placing shrines into forests and on trees as a way of thanking and respecting these spirits and energies. I am not sure of any more details of the shrine in this painting, but looking at the moss that is growing all over it, I am guessing that, like the forest it inhabits, it has been around for a while. I wonder how old this forest is? And what kind of shrine is it? The other things I love about this painting are the little flecks of yellow and white that make it sparkle. And if you look closely at the upper right side of the largest rock you can see the tiniest hairs of moss growing there. Oh, and I just found a little creature hiding towards the top middle of the painting, in the tree! I just showed this to my Mom and she laughed and said, "I wonder if he even remembers painting that!" Oh, Mom. I wonder if it is any relation to the soot workers of Spirited Away. =) I love that movie. Is Miyazaki going to come out with another film, or is the master done?
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