Finished painting

 

I just added some finishing touches. This is a painting I just finished for a lady who asked me to paint a picture of the Japanese interment camp in Minidoka. 

 

I have seen many pictures of the interment camps that seem so gloomy, and I wanted to show that there is beauty to be found even in the interment camps of life---that there is beauty to be found even in the driest places.

 

Also, I added some kanji, on the left hand side. The first symbol means, To rise, or Rise. The second, Ashes. The third and forth symbols: To be reborn.

So the message of the painting, To Rise from the ashes, and be reborn.

 

Here's some photos.

I painted this entirely outside, and so enjoyed painting this. It's so much better to paint outside. 

 

 

 

 

 

After I posted the pictures, the song, "Somewhere over the rainbow" Came to me. And I thought, to myself. I think this painting should be called. "Way up High." As many times, in order to see our way out of a life, that so often fences us in, is to go higher up. To see through the eyes of a child.

Here's the song that found me. Actually my sister, showed me a different version of some teenagers singing it, in some sort of art museum. It was on facebook so I'm not sure how to share here. 

So here's a good one.