year of the dog by zen brush

image copyright and by kindest permission of seiko morningstar

Here is a happy Shiba Inu offering a play bow so that you'll come and celebrate the Year of the Dog with him.  If, like me, you love Japanese ink paintings, you'll love this messenger - and the rest of the work by his creator, Zen monk Seiko Morningstar.  Deceptively simple, but full of spirit and life force, Zen ink painting offers you immediate connection with its subjects.  You see the essence of flower, of tree, of wave, of dog.  Very refreshing and freeing. 

Have a look at the playful beings on offer at Seiko's shop, ZenBrush.

Would you like to learn a little more about this style of painting?  This essay at the Metropolitan isn't a bad place to start.

Seiko mentioned to me that it's an Earth Dog year:

The Year of Earth Dog begins Feb. 16, 2018 (Chinese New Year) and lasting to Feb. 4, 2019. The Dog is the eleventh in the 12-year cycle of Chinese zodiac sign and those born in the Dog years are People born in the Year of the Dog are usually independent, sincere, and loyal friends.

I'll be reaching out again around then, but it's never too soon to wish you all joy and peace for the new Year of the Dog.

a windswept papillon

image copyright and courtesy of the artist

Small dog, big presence:  this papillion by Massachusetts artist Melody Lea Lamb gazes into the wind, alert yet calm.  He's present in the moment, as dogs know so well how to be.  The original of this piece was done in colored pencil and India ink, and all of 3.5 x 2.5 inches.  The careful rendering of the fur, and overall realism of the approach, has been so skilfully handled that it doesn't overwhelm the small space of the portrait.  At Lamb's Etsy shop you can see many more of these tiny works as well as ones a bit bigger.  I was drawn to the simple, jewel-toned immediacy of this one.
Melody Lea Lamb's website is full of even more of these detailed, bright works, and I am sure they will delight you.

cat.

www.lacma.org, Gift of the Robert and Helen Kuhn Family Trust (M.2012.106.30)

Nanzan Koryo (Japanese, 1756-1839) was a monk about whom little is known.  In this scroll painting, titled only "Cat," he's brushed in a feline friend so organically that we could be forgiven for thinking the ink ran this way of its own accord.

neko face

Gift of Charles Lang Freer (noncommercial use permitted, the Freer and Sackler Galleries)

Here we have the incomparable Hokusai (Japan, 1760-1849) with a little sketch he dashed off in ink on paper around 1810.  This is a work that would fall under the style of ukiyo-e, that is, focusing on the actors, entertainers and courtesans of the cities.  Every so often, one finds a cat (neko in Japanese) co-starring, as with our smug buddy below:

Head over to this site for a thorough look online at Hokusai's life and work.