In my former career, there was a great mentor, now over seventy, who helped me enormously. He deeply loves mountain climbing and has supported me many times; he is a benefactor I truly admire. Just after I became independent, he asked me to paint a mountain for him, and encouraged by his warmth, I took up the brush. That is how "Infinity" was born.
An endless view from the summit
Spreading across the canvas is a sea of clouds and a vast sky seen from a mountaintop. The setting is the Yatsugatake range, and in particular the view said to be seen from the summit of Mount Aka, a celebrated peak that every mountain lover dreams of climbing at least once. In the distance, Mount Fuji rises above the sea of clouds. It is a truly magnificent place where every element of the perfect scene comes together.
I chose Yatsugatake simply because I intuitively felt I wanted to paint it. As I gathered references for the first time, I discovered this wonderful view, was completely captivated, and felt, "Yes, this is the one." I painted it from a wide range of references.
A refreshing, boundless sky, as clear as it can possibly be. I hoped the painting would let viewers feel something like a state of emptiness, of pure stillness. With that wish, I likened it to an endless, infinite view and named it "Infinity."
A single butterfly rising into the sky
High in the sky, I gently added a single butterfly. Since ancient times, the butterfly has been a symbol of the soul's rebirth and of transformation, of taking flight toward the next stage. May my mentor, who has walked a long road, continue to fly lightly and freely through the sky: I placed that wish in this small butterfly. A single point of living sparkle drifting in the wide sky brings a clear breath of life to the quiet landscape.
Dragon clouds ascending the sky
The clouds floating in the distant sky are actually painted in the form of a dragon. A dragon ascending to the heavens, rising upward to the right, looks supremely auspicious to me after so many years in the world of business. Life has its ups and downs, its mountains and valleys. Even so, may his life ahead gather ever more momentum, like a dragon rising to the heavens, and be truly wonderful. I quietly entrusted that wish to this dragon of clouds.
Cymatics born from the frequency of gratitude
In my work, I take as a motif the feeling that rises from words, the resonance of kotodama, and embed it in the painting as a visible form. For this work, I asked my mentor, "What words have stayed with you most at the turning points of your life?" His answer was a single phrase: "Gratitude. In the end, there is only gratitude."
So I layered the feeling I drew from the word "gratitude" softly across the sky as a single circular pattern. Shapes of bonds overlapping again and again, a figure with palms joined in prayer, an image of people connecting with one another: I patiently tied these together, one fine line after another. The circle is born from the center of the heart, and feelings of gratitude well up as ripples, spreading outward and outward. It became a pattern precious to me, fitting for a painting given to a mentor I owe so much.
A painting to stay close to the heart for years to come
Having been looked after so many times, I feel frustrated that I can only express my thanks in this way, yet I am deeply grateful that he reached out to me just after I became independent. If he can spend peaceful moments thinking of the mountains while gazing at this painting, there could be no greater joy for me. I pray for his continued health and well-being.
Painter KOHIKO (光日子)
