HACHIOJI CITY, TOKYO
AUGUST 27, 2007
"PAULOWNIA RAIN"
PAINTING WITH KAZUO OGA
In June 2006, I was visiting a wilderness park in Akita.
This is a sketch of some scenery at the foot of the mountains.
The paulownia trees were in full flower.
I stopped the car, got out and made this sketch.
WORK BEGINS
SURFACE PREPARATION
What I do is apply water, wait for the paper to absorb it...
...then apply again.
I work with the paper fairly wet.
It's raining lightly, and I want things to look a bit blurred.
So I'm prepping the paper with plenty of water.
COMMERCIAL POSTER PAINT: 24 COLORS
APPLYING THE GROUND
I do as much as I can right at the beginning.
That's when my energy level is high.
I do as much as possible while the paper is wet.
As the paper dries, the brush work will start to look dry too.
To get that damp look, it should be completely wet.
Perspiration fell on the paper.
AFTER 15 MINUTES, OGA SITS
I want to make the most of the misty effects I can get...
...while the paper is still wet.
Even if I'm not totally satisfied with the color, I'll go with it.
You can't always predict the results?
Often I can't.
Sometimes it isn't quite what I had in mind.
But I can still go with it.
The basic shape and placement of the trees is already decided.
This is the basic layout.
But I may play around with the shapes based on my mood.
GROUND APPLICATION COMPLETE
It was raining at the time, but the sky was bright.
The trees were in full flower. The effect was rather mysterious.
I want to capture that mysterious feeling.
We'll see if I can.
ADDING BRANCHES
Too many branches. Time to use the eraser.
This paulownia tree still has a rather strange shape.
It will still have this strange shape when I'm done.
I'm hoping I can turn the unique shape of this tree to my advantage.
That's the plan.
ADDING GRASS AND FOLIAGE
I don't know how this will turn out. I'm using my intuition here.
I have a hunch this is the color.
To see if it works here, I just have to try it.
It's like being a cook in one of those Chinese restaurants.
They add salt in dashes.
What I'm doing here is a bit like that.
Take the green of foliage, for example.
In nature, the color of real foliage is not especially vivid.
But if you use natural hues, your work will look dull.
The green of foliage is not vibrant.
To bring out the hues, you can add a bit of vivid color to one side.
Use different color accents in areas of light and shade.
The shade of green you use may be the same in one location.
It will be hard to say what the overall color is.
But it should have a feeling of rich green.
Now we'll add the blossoms and some final embellishments.
The flowers are pink and pale purple.
The whole image will become much more vibrant.
I didn't plan to put much vegetation in the foreground.
But the trees will look odd without it.
I think this should be a bit less distinct.
It looks misty now.
ADDING FLOWERS
I'm not sure why the flowers bloom this way.
But these are mountain flowers, not flowers in a garden.
We don't want too much symmetry.
I want the composition to look balanced...
...but if the flowers look too symmetrical, I'll erase a few.
I try not to overdo it. I just look for the best locations.
I choose the best places, adding flowers one by one.
I want a kind of rough beauty, not something calculated.
On the real trees, some of the branches have flowers.
Others don't.
Nature doesn't look tidy.
You want to create a kind of appealing lack of balance.
I'm not quite sure how to put it.
You want to retain that natural feel.
You want to keep that in mind as you decide where to place things.
AFTER SIX HOURS OF WORK, A FINISHED IMAGE
And there it is.
I call this "Paulownia Rain".
After the trees.
I'd been wanting to do this image properly.
I experimented with that large layout too.
I had a vague idea of the colors I wanted to use.
So this is how it actually looks.
"PAULOWNIA RAIN"
Things fell into place rather easily. It's a good feeling.
It's not bad at all, I think.
I think this is what I was looking for.
Thank you.
Planning Toshio Suzuki
Written and directed by Tomo Nakanishi
Producers Maiko Yahata, Chikashi Saito
Production TV MAN UNION
English subtitles by AURA
English translation by Jim Hubbert