As I had the opportunity to set up a series of exhibitions, I wanted to do more than just exhibit the pictures I paint. I decided to use those pictures to illustrate the story the nature tells me, while I am sitting outside watching its every movement from the opening of the first flower in the spring til the fall of the last leaf in the fall. Watching with the brush in my hand, trying to collect every fragment in my sketchbook.

As the trees started to bloom in early spring, I saw them as dancers walking onto the stage after a long rehearsal. And when the petals were flying in the wind, performing their unique dance for me, I felt like I was in the first row of a ballet performance of the nature. 

 

I wanted to capture all the unique features of each spring flower, and highlight the dance of the falling cherry blossom petals. That is why I chose to tell the story of a little cherry blossom dancer named Sarah ("Sara" in japanese means "blooming sky"). You can follow her story through my exhibition series, the Flow of Nature. 

The special event and grand finale of the exhibition was the beautiful piano performance by Sachiko Akimoto, whose  beautiful voice filled the Nagano Hongo Church with magic and made my dancing flower paintings come alive!