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Journey Within - Donburakokko
, 2000, 30.5" x
21"
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Mixed Media: Dutch metal, copper, and silver leaf, watercolors, acrylics, graphite, colored pencils, and ink jet print on watercolor paper. (Private Collection) |
Subtitle of this piece "Donburakokko" is a word for imitating sound often used in a popular Japanese folk tale “Momotaro (the Peach Boy)”. In this tale, Donburakokko is used to express the way a large peach is coming down the river. The story goes… ‘When the old woman was doing her laundry at a river side, she saw a large peach coming down the river Donburakokko, Donburakokko towards her...’ Donburakokko came from my mother’s mouth when she first saw this piece at my studio. I liked it and decided to use it as a subtitle. The image was inspired by a scene from "Alice in the Wonderland." (Alice was stuck in a bottle floating on her tears.) Though in my piece, a bottle is not floating in the river of tears. The water represents origin of all life. Our life journey is like floating the river running into the great mother of sea. It is like a precious journey on a golden river. A small bottle represents the country I am living. A larger bottle represents our planet Earth. Therefore, I, a Japanese woman in America, am a part of a life in the world on Earth, which is part of a huge galaxy, which is part of a vast universe and beyond. A glass jar is also a vehicle but also a fish bowl depends on how you see your life. Some people say that the expression of my face on this piece is sad. I would say though my expression is rather serious than sad. In this piece, I am thinking hard about the life and universe. In this piece I am a thinker. (I created this piece before 9.11.)
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