Kamakura Daibutsu

[craigchivers]

Hi everyone,

Here's day 1 on my next plein air. I decided to leave tokyo and paint one of the most famous monuments here in Japan, the daibutsu of kamakura. He's a 13m bronze statue from the 13th C. C&C welcome. Canvas is 36x48cm.

Hope the weather is bearable wherever you are!
craig

[Potoma]

Very loose and peaceful, too. Good job.

[Journeyman]

Wow that’s an enormous statue Craig, I’m assuming that is an entrance with people on the lower right? Look forward to you progress on this Dave

[Ian Bruce]

Nice! Gets better and better the longer you look at it. Some kind of color vibration going on there. I got to see that statue twenty years ago and I remember that the guide book mentioned it had been knocked over on its side by a Tsunami sometime in the past--which is pretty amazing as I recall that it was a bit of a walk uphill from the railway station--and even further from the sea.

[DFGray]

scale and volume... great!

[craigchivers]

Thanks for the comments Gray and Potoma. Journeyman - it's like some little shack or kiosk that they obviously don't use anymore. I need to pay attention to that space and the opposite one at the bottom left as well. I might have to put a person or two in for scale when it gets close to being done. Ian - hope i havn't lost any of that vibration. I try my best not to loose any quick impressions during a long painting... don't we all! I guess it is a bit up a slope from the station. I usually take a bus right there from the main stn. but then walk down to the small one you're refering to when i leave. I thought i'd have more time but since i've started language lessons here in tokyo by the time i get out to kamakura it's mid afternoon the light quickly fails and it's hard to get an hour and a half per session. Appologies for the glare in the pics, i'll take a better one next time. viva andrew wyeth... at least in our hearts!
cheers to all! and yes please to c and c.

[craigchivers]

Ok, here's day 5 of Daibutsu. Kinda makes you feel like a rockstar painting in such a high traffic tourist spot... and i have to snub most of the admirers as time is always short. Maybe 1 1/2 per session with quickly fading light. Next time i'll choose something closer to home, but i've been dying to paint this guy since the first time i lived in Japan. The plums have already started to blossom here, which is crazy to think of compared to the weather back home.

Cheers, c & c always welcome,
craig

[craigchivers]

Hi all!
Here's the progress on my big bhuda painting from Kamakura. I've been busy studying japanese, chinese characters as well as trying to get my atelier off the ground here in Tokyo; not to mention there has been a fair number of cloudy days here recently. Here's the painting after day 11! Maybe i'll say i'm close to the end now? I'm itching to start a new one, and a bit closer to home as well! c&c always welcome.

craig

[Julianne]

Nice one, Craig, you've captured it nicely, that's a LOT of travelling! Yes, you would have lots of people thronging around you too. I remember really enjoying walking inside the depths of the buddha when I was there a few years back.