Link to Nara Pilgrim Wood's home page
Framed original watercolors by Nara Pilgrim Wood
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Everywhere, All At Once
When I lived on the Mendocino coast I walked on the beach daily. The coast there is wild, the waves are powerful and the currents are strong. The rock formations are unique there, something about their shape and what they are made of create a distinct water display. As the waves crash over the rocks the water streams down the rocks, following time-worn crevices. I was mesmerized by these continuously changing waterfalls, the more I watched them the more I wanted to do a painting featuring them. I titled this painting "Everywhere, All At Once" because the water is going in every direction, there are five types of water movement in this painting. I loved the challenge of capturing the explosive power and chaos of the ocean breaking on the northern California coast.
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Everywhere, All At Once

Framed Original Watercolor $2,500

"Everywhere, All At Once" has an embossed border with a deckled edge. The painting is mounted on ¼" acid-free foam core which is affixed to the frame back. Textured hand-made paper surrounds the painting.

Please get in touch via email before purchasing so that shipping/delivery charges can be calculated for your location.

All purchases are processed through PayPal. Shipping charges are included in the total. 8.25% sales tax is applied to all sales originating in California.

Everywhere, All At Once
Watercolor on Paper    Painting 21" x 29.5"   Frame 30" x 38"
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Tunitas
This is a special place, close to my heart. When I go there I feel the power of nature, the connectedness of all of life. The cliffs are very tall, rising straight up from the beach. There is a wildness to the place, an untouched quality. After one of my visits to this beach I drove to a lookout spot above it. There I found an old piano placed on the edge of the cliffs. I sat down and played for a few minutes in that most unlikely situation. It was humorous and delightful to hear the sounds of the old piano floating out over the cliffs above the ocean.
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Tunitas

Framed Original Watercolor $1,500

"Tunitas" is framed in a painted wooden frame. A textured hand-made paper surrounds the painting.

Please get in touch via email before purchasing so that shipping/delivery charges can be calculated for your location.

All purchases are processed through PayPal. Shipping charges are included in the total. 8.25% sales tax is applied to all sales originating in California.

Tunitas
Watercolor on Paper    Painting 15" x 22"     Frame 23" x 29"
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Timber Cove II
This is one of our favorite spots on the Sonoma Coast. The drama of light on these large sandstone rocks is quite intriguing. The rocks have been carved, worn, eroded and polished through time and the pressure of weather. Against the backdrop of the blue Pacific the yellow rock is punctuated with deep shadows. This was my second Timber Cove painting, and I bet you that there are more to come.
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Timber Cove II

Framed Original Watercolor $3,500

"Timber Cove II" is painted on sheer silk and floated off the back of the frame. The frame is made of quilted maple, lacewood, and ebony with sterling silver hardware. Decorative paper backs the painting.

Please get in touch via email before purchasing so that shipping/delivery charges can be calculated for your location.

All purchases are processed through PayPal. Shipping charges are included in the total. 8.25% sales tax is applied to all sales originating in California.

Timber Cove II
Watercolor on Silk    30" x 17.5"    Frame 38.5" x 25"
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Reflection on Pudding Creek
Pudding Creek meets the Pacific at Fort Bragg in Mendocino County. There is an old wooden train trestle that crosses over it and provides bird’s-eye views of the beach below. When the tide is low water stands very still on the beach and reflects the sky above the ocean like a mirror.
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Reflection on Pudding Creek

Framed Original Watercolor $1,250

"Reflection on Pudding Creek" is painted on sheer silk and floated off the back of the frame. The frame is construted of painted wood. Decorative paper backs the painting.

Please get in touch via email before purchasing so that shipping/delivery charges can be calculated for your location.

All purchases are processed through PayPal. Shipping charges are included in the total. 8.25% sales tax is applied to all sales originating in California.

Reflection on Pudding Creek
Watercolor on Silk    Painting 26.5" x 13.5"    Frame 34.25" x 19.25"
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Wandering a Nameless Stream
Did you ever spend time wandering in the woods or the mountains with no destination or purpose in mind? I loved doing this as a child, it was something I did often, and I called it “wandering time”. Sometimes, I would find a special spot, and I would linger there to take in the small details and feel of it. Other times I would walk slowly and quietly, not stopping, but at a pace where I was engaged with my surroundings. Not thinking, just being alive in the wilderness. This was delightful to me. This painting is an imagined place, inspired by that wandering activity. I wanted to put the viewer at a bugs-eye view, as if you were quite small and very close to the flowers and water.
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Wandering a Nameless Stream

Framed Original Watercolor $1,500

"Wandering a Nameless Stream" is framed in a painted wooden frame. A textured hand-made paper surrounds the painting.

Please get in touch via email before purchasing so that shipping/delivery charges can be calculated for your location.

All purchases are processed through PayPal. Shipping charges are included in the total. 8.25% sales tax is applied to all sales originating in California.

Wandering a Nameless Stream
Watercolor on Paper    15" x 22"     23" x 29"
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Mayacamas Autumn
I was hiking the Mount St Helena trail in Robert Louis Stevenson State Park in Sonoma County. It was a late September afternoon, and I came upon a Manzanita that seemed to be glistening in the light of the low-hanging sun. In order to represent the moment I felt it necessary to accentuate the sky with multi-colored metal leaf. I chose to paint the Manzanita branch without sunlit highlights so as the keep the colors vibrant against the yellow background.
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Mayacamas Autumn

Framed Original Watercolor $1,500

"Mayacamas Autumn" is framed in a gold wooden frame. A textured hand-made paper surrounds the painting.

Please get in touch via email before purchasing so that shipping/delivery charges can be calculated for your location.

All purchases are processed through PayPal. Shipping charges are included in the total. 8.25% sales tax is applied to all sales originating in California.

Mayacamas Autumn
Watercolor on Paper     Painting 18" x 23"    Frame 25" x 30.5"
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Coral Sea, Coral Sky
I wanted to give you the feeling of what it is like to be walking through a dense tropical forest in the evening. You are walking along a path towards the surf and it is quite dark, there are trees and dense vegetation, you hear crickets and an occasional bird call. You walk through an opening in the trees, and suddenly, there is the setting sun. The sky, clouds, and surface of the ocean are brilliant with light and color.
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Coral Sea, Coral Sky

Framed Original Watercolor $4,000

"Coral Sea, Coral Sky" is painted on sheer silk and floated off the back of the frame. The frame is made of coco bolo and ebony with sterling silver hardware. Decorative paper backs the painting.

Please get in touch via email before purchasing so that shipping/delivery charges can be calculated for your location.

All purchases are processed through PayPal. Shipping charges are included in the total. 8.25% sales tax is applied to all sales originating in California.

Coral Sea, Coral Sky
Watercolor on Silk    Painting 17" x 23.5"    Frame 29.5" x 34"
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Wailua Dream
I dreamed that I was flying up a river with rocky green cliffs rising up on either side. I was flying close to the water, about halfway up the cliff walls. The river was a lively green-blue water that rushed with a burbling, jumping, splashing sound. I felt absolutely natural in flight, I was zooming around the bends in the river canyon with ease. The feeling was one of freedom and exhilaration. I had the sense that this was the Wailua river in Kauai, Hawaii. I was seeing it in a way that I had never seen it before, as a bird, rather than a pedestrian. I woke up from this dream in the middle of the night. I immediately sketched the scene of the dream before I forgot it. In the morning I began to paint the dream. The feeling of the river flight was fresh, and the painting flowed easily. Dreams have always been important to me, for inspiration and discovery. Flying dreams most of all.
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Wailua Dream

Framed Original Watercolor $1,800

"Wailua Dream" is painted on sheer silk and floated off the back of the frame. The frame is made of quilted maple, and bocote with sterling silver hardware set with chrysoprase. Decorative paper backs the painting.

Please get in touch via email before purchasing so that shipping/delivery charges can be calculated for your location.

All purchases are processed through PayPal. Shipping charges are included in the total. 8.25% sales tax is applied to all sales originating in California.

Wailua Dream
Watercolor on Silk     Painting 14" x 17"    Frame 18.5" x 24.5"
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Issa's Inspiration
I am very much into the art form of haiku. I have been reading it for many years. Often, I pull out a book of haiku and read the poems, letting those few words create images in my mind. One of my favorite poets is Issa, whose name means “cup of tea”. He spent many years traveling Japan, composing poems as he went, in this way he became famous as a haiku poet. When I was painting this I thought of Issa and his spontaneous haiku as he viewed each vista and temple along his journey.
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Issa's Inspiration

Framed Original Watercolor $350

"Issa's Inspiration" is framed in an anodized aluminum frame. A textured hand-made paper surrounds the painting.

Please get in touch via email before purchasing so that shipping/delivery charges can be calculated for your location.

All purchases are processed through PayPal. Shipping charges are included in the total. 8.25% sales tax is applied to all sales originating in California.

Issa's Inspiration
Watercolor on Paper     Painting 9" x 12"    Frame 12" x 15"
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Native Gaze
One day I began a sketch of a bobcat, drawing from my memory of seeing one a few years before. As I was drawing I wished that I could see one again, so that I could really get the feeling of the cat. Later that morning as I was driving down my driveway a bib bobcat crossed the road and ran up the hill. I stopped the car to get a good look at him, and he stopped and looked directly at me. It was a thrilling moment. Now I could begin the painting. During the time that I was working on this painting the bobcat took to hunting in the apple orchard outside my window. I would see him almost every day. The day that I finished the painting I met the bobcat in the same spot on the driveway, and we looked at each other again. After that I never saw the bobcat on the property again. It was a mysterious and wonderful experience, and this painting was inspired and informed by the beauty and spirit of the bobcat.
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Native Gaze

Framed Original Watercolor $1,000

"Native Gaze" is painted on sheer silk and floated off the back of the frame. The frame is made of coco bolo and ebony with sterling silver hardware. Decorative paper backs the painting.

Please get in touch via email before purchasing so that shipping/delivery charges can be calculated for your location.

All purchases are processed through PayPal. Shipping charges are included in the total. 8.25% sales tax is applied to all sales originating in California.

Native Gaze
Watercolor on Silk     13.5" x 16"
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Merlin
Story of the Merlin....
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Merlin

Framed Original Watercolor $2,000

"Merlin" is painted on sheer silk and floated off the back of the frame. The frame is made of yellowheart and coco bolo with sterling silver hardware. Decorative paper backs the painting.

Please get in touch via email before purchasing so that shipping/delivery charges can be calculated for your location.

All purchases are processed through PayPal. Shipping charges are included in the total. 8.25% sales tax is applied to all sales originating in California.

Merlin
Watercolor on Silk    Painting 17" x 11"    Frame 23.5 x 16.5
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Wisdom
Wisdom story....
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Wisdom

Framed Original Watercolor $3,500

"Wisdom" is painted on sheer silk and floated off the back of the frame. The frame is constructed of spalted maple, blue mahoe, and lavinia burl with sterling silver hardware. Decorative paper backs the painting.

Please get in touch via email before purchasing so that shipping/delivery charges can be calculated for your location.

All purchases are processed through PayPal. Shipping charges are included in the total. 8.25% sales tax is applied to all sales originating in California.

Wisdom
Watercolor on Silk    Painting 28" x 12"    Frame 37" x 18"
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Ikebana I
A painting of an ikebana arrangement that I did. My teacher was Sensei Shuko Kobayashi, a master of the Sogetsu school. He was a very inspiring teacher with great skills and a honed sense of aesthetics; a sculptor working in living materials.
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Ikebana I

Framed Original Watercolor $3,000

"Ikebana I" is painted on sheer silk and floated off the back of the frame. The frame is constructed of figured bubinga and lacewood with sterling silver hardware. Decorative paper backs the painting.

Please get in touch via email before purchasing so that shipping/delivery charges can be calculated for your location.

All purchases are processed through PayPal. Shipping charges are included in the total. 8.25% sales tax is applied to all sales originating in California.

Ikebana I
Watercolor on Silk     Painting 16.5" x 26"    Frame 26" x 34.5"
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Ikebana 2
A sparse arrangement of the Sogetsu style, this is another arrangement that I painted after composing it. I love the use of leaves, especially large leaves, in ikebana. The sculptural play that is possible is limitless.
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Ikebana 2

Framed Original Watercolor $2,500

"Ikebana 2" is painted on sheer silk and floated off the back of the frame. The frame is constructed of quilted maple and bocote with sterling silver hardware. Decorative paper backs the painting.

Please get in touch via email before purchasing so that shipping/delivery charges can be calculated for your location.

All purchases are processed through PayPal. Shipping charges are included in the total. 8.25% sales tax is applied to all sales originating in California.

Ikebana 2
Watercolor on Silk     Painting 26" x 15"    Frame 41.5" x 22"
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Beneath the Plum Blossoms
Beneath the Plum Blossoms Story...
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Beneath the Plum Blossoms

Framed Original Watercolor $1,800

"Beneath the Plum Blossoms" is painted on sheer silk and floated off the back of the frame. The frame is constructed of narra and lacewood with sterling silver hardware. Decorative paper backs the painting.

Please get in touch via email before purchasing so that shipping/delivery charges can be calculated for your location.

All purchases are processed through PayPal. Shipping charges are included in the total. 8.25% sales tax is applied to all sales originating in California.

Beneath the Plum Blossoms
Watercolor on Silk     Painting 16.5" x 12"    Frame 23" x 17"
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Garland of Whales
On the night of Bhagavan Adi Da Samraj’s Mahasamadhi , His transition from the body, I was overcome with emotion. My Guru was no longer physically here in this world. This was devastating to me, and I longed to be with Him. I fell asleep briefly and had a powerful dream. I was flying over the island of Naitauba in Fiji, Adi Da’s principal home. At first I was flying very high so that I could see the whole island below me. Then I swooped down closer in to the island, at the level of the cliffs. I was flying clockwise around the perimeter of the island. The wind was blowing hard, trees were bending and the air felt wild around me. The ocean was churned up, waves were moving in every direction outside the protective reef. I saw many sharks and whales swimming around Naitauba. I sensed that they were there for a purpose. I flew all the way around the island, then I woke up.

I arrived on Naitauba two days later. I found out from the Fijians that it is traditionally understood that when the Tui (or Fijian Chief) dies the sharks come to the island to pay their respect to the Tui. When I heard this I felt that my dream had not been a dream at all. I felt that I had actually been there witnessing that moment . This painting is an illustration of what I saw, the image and the feeling of it was so impactful to me that it was easy to remember. Turaga Dau Loloma Vunirarama is Adi Da’s Fijian name.
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Garland of Whales

Framed Original Watercolor $2,500

"Garland of Whales" has an embossed border with a deckled edge. The painting is mounted on ¼" acid-free foam core which is affixed to the frame back. Textured hand-made paper surrounds the painting.

Please get in touch via email before purchasing so that shipping/delivery charges can be calculated for your location.

All purchases are processed through PayPal. Shipping charges are included in the total. 8.25% sales tax is applied to all sales originating in California.

Garland of Whales
Watercolor on Paper    Painting 21" x 29"    Frame 32" x 40.5"
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Radiance
This is a painting of Adi Da’s house at the Matrix on the island of Naitauba. The cove there is spectacular, clear waters with a gentle tide that comes in to a curved beach. The house looks out over a wide view of the Pacific, with the neighboring islands small and distant at the horizon line. This place is very special to me. Some of the happiest moments of my life happened here. The sunsets are over-the-top dramatic and colorful, this is the way it often looks there. The time of day is just after sunset, when things get quiet and the fruit bats fly out from a tree on the hillside to begin their evening.
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Radiance

Framed Original Watercolor $1,500

"Radiance" is mounted in an anodized aluminum frame with decorative hand-made paper matting.

Please get in touch via email before purchasing so that shipping/delivery charges can be calculated for your location.

All purchases are processed through PayPal. Shipping charges are included in the total. 8.25% sales tax is applied to all sales originating in California.

Radiance
Watercolor on Paper    Painting 15" x 23"    Frame 21" x 29.5"
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Aspens
One winter we took the train from California to Chicago, and headed back west in a car. We decided to take a scenic route through the Rocky Mountains, making our way at a leisurely pace on smaller two-lane roads. It was snowing, the snowflakes that fell piled up on the already laden mountains and trees. There was no one else out on the road, the conditions being what they were. It was quiet, the sound dampened down by the fresh fallen snow. The aspen trees stood out in bold lines of white with black linear accents. There many stands of them, swaths of living sculpture that stood out against the white snow drifted-hills. It was spectacular. As the day move to night we were spectators to a sunset of bright pink and yellow, with tinges of blue. The light danced off the surface of the snow, adding to the grandeur of the scene.
With these images in mind I painted “Aspens”. I wanted to convey the beauty and the stillness that I had seen and felt in this winter drive.
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Aspens

Framed Original Watercolor $2,500

"Aspens" is painted on sheer silk and floated off the back of the frame. The frame is constructed of spalted maple and blue mahoe with sterling silver hardware. Decorative paper backs the painting.

Please get in touch via email before purchasing so that shipping/delivery charges can be calculated for your location.

All purchases are processed through PayPal. Shipping charges are included in the total. 8.25% sales tax is applied to all sales originating in California.

Aspens
Watercolor on Silk    Painting 18.5" x 14"    Frame 29" x 19.5"
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Garden of Ganesh

Ganesh (or Ganesha) is a Hindu deity that I have loved since I was a child. Elephant-headed deities have a natural appeal, don't you think?. He is a remover of obstacles and patron of the arts. I depict this image of Ganesh in his garden. Hibiscus are associated with him, one of his favorite flowers. So, I have placed some in the foreground.
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Garden of Ganesh

Framed Original Watercolor $750

"Garden of Ganesh" is framed in a gold wood frame with a decorative paper matting.

Please get in touch via email before purchasing so that shipping/delivery charges can be calculated for your location.

All purchases are processed through PayPal. Shipping charges are included in the total. 8.25% sales tax is applied to all sales originating in California.

Garden of Ganesh
Watercolor on Paper     Painting 18" x 12"    Frame 24" x 18"
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Open-Handed, Too
I have never been to Hong Kong, but I have looked at many images of the Tian Tan Buddha on Lantau Island. The Big Buddha is particularly interesting because of the view from below the statue. This image of Buddha is depicted in "Abhaya Mudra" which refers to the position of the hands. The right hand, raised with open palm turned outward, partially obscuring the Buddha’s serene face, is a very potent representation of this icon of world religion. I added pink lotuses into the foreground which are symbolic of the Buddha’s realization.
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Open-Handed, Too

Framed Original Watercolor $750

"Open-Handed, Too" is framed in a gold wood Frame with a decorative paper matting.

Please get in touch via email before purchasing so that shipping/delivery charges can be calculated for your location.

All purchases are processed through PayPal. Shipping charges are included in the total. 8.25% sales tax is applied to all sales originating in California.

Open-Handed, Too
Watercolor on Paper     Painting 18" x 12"    Frame 24" x 18"
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Gopi Beneath Bodhi Tree
This painting, like "Open-Handed, Too", is inspired by a statue of one of the six attendants to Tian Tan Buddha. She is offering her spiritual master a plate of fruit. She is a "deva", and is depicted in a Buddhist form. Deva, however, is a term that is used in both Buddhism and Hinduism, and so I call her "gopi", referring to the "gopis of Vrindavan", the female devotees of Krishna.
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Gopi Beneath Bodhi Tree

Framed Original Watercolor $750

"Gopi Beneath Bodhi Tree" is framed in a gold wood Frame with a decorative paper matting.

Please get in touch via email before purchasing so that shipping/delivery charges can be calculated for your location.

All purchases are processed through PayPal. Shipping charges are included in the total. 8.25% sales tax is applied to all sales originating in California.

Gopi Beneath Bodhi Tree
Watercolor on Paper     Painting 18" x 12"    Frame 24" x 18"
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Rasa Prelude
This painting depicts the Hindu deity, Krishna. The Rasa Leela is the story of Krishna and the gopis, or female cowherds. One night Krishna manifested himself to each of the one hundred and eight gopis individually and was the perfect consort to each. The gopis have not arrived on the scene, and Krishna prepares to call them with his flute.
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Rasa Prelude

Framed Original Watercolor $750

"Rasa Prelude" is framed in a gold wood Frame with a decorative paper matting.

Please get in touch via email before purchasing so that shipping/delivery charges can be calculated for your location.

All purchases are processed through PayPal. Shipping charges are included in the total. 8.25% sales tax is applied to all sales originating in California.

Rasa Prelude
Watercolor on Paper     Painting 18" x 12"    Frame 24" x 18"
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Green Tara

This detail of Green Tara is taken from a photograph of a Nepalese repoussé statue. The metal fabrication, raising, chasing, and engraving work of the Himalayan monks of Tibet and Nepal has always astounded me. They were masters of the highest degree. Yet, they are unknown. Their work is never signed, as they do not work for fame or fortune. Mastering their skills and using them to honor their sacred tradition is their spiritual practice.

Green Tara is a Bodhisattva of compassion and action. She holds a blue lotus as she is associated with the moon and night.

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Green Tara

Framed Original Watercolor $500

"Green Tara" is framed in a gold wood Frame with a decorative paper matting.

Please get in touch via email before purchasing so that shipping/delivery charges can be calculated for your location.

All purchases are processed through PayPal. Shipping charges are included in the total. 8.25% sales tax is applied to all sales originating in California.

Green Tara
Watercolor on Paper     Painting 12" x 9"    Frame 18" x 15"
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Begonia
I fell for begonias the first time that I visited the begonia house at the Mendocino Botanical Gardens. I was surrounded by blooming begonias in every color. I remember turning, bending, and going on tiptoe, to catch the best views of each flower. Ever since then I have been growing begonias, enjoying their beauty at each stage of their life. This is a portrait of one from last year.
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Begonia

Framed Original Watercolor $500

"Begonia" is framed in a gold wood Frame with a decorative paper matting.

Please get in touch via email before purchasing so that shipping/delivery charges can be calculated for your location.

All purchases are processed through PayPal. Shipping charges are included in the total. 8.25% sales tax is applied to all sales originating in California.

Begonia
Watercolor on Paper     Painting 18" x 6"    Frame 24" x 12"
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Cataleya
I was six years old when I moved to Fiji. My favorite service when I arrived was caring for the orchids in the large orchid house that was already established. The orchid house was a large reed and thatch bure; a Fijian-style structure. The airy building was filled with orchids of many varieties and colors. My favorites were the Catalayas with their large, frilly petals and soft, pastel colors.
SOlD

Cataleya

Framed Original Watercolor SOLD

"Cataleya" is framed in a gold wood Frame with a decorative paper matting.

Please get in touch via email before purchasing so that shipping/delivery charges can be calculated for your location.

All purchases are processed through PayPal. Shipping charges are included in the total. 8.25% sales tax is applied to all sales originating in California.

Cataleya
Watercolor on Paper     Painting 18" x 6"    Frame 24" x 12"
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Twilight Rose
I have a friend who does organic farming on Taveuni Island in Fiji. She lived near me in West Sonoma County for a few years, and grew magnificent roses; breathtaking actually. She made rose jam from the roses. I never tasted anything like it. Every morning she went into her rose garden and hand-picked the aphids off the petals. She would allow nothing to taint the flavor of that delicious, pink concoction that paired so well with Screaming Mimi’s vanilla ice cream. Here’s to you, Amy! Fiji is lucky to have you.
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Twilight Rose

Framed Original Watercolor $500

"Twilight Rose" is mounted in a gold frame with textured paper matting.

Please get in touch via email before purchasing so that shipping/delivery charges can be calculated for your location.

All purchases are processed through PayPal. Shipping charges are included in the total. 8.25% sales tax is applied to all sales originating in California.

Twilight Rose
Watercolor on Paper     Painting 18" x 6"    Frame 24" x 12"
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Peace Rose
In the spirit of the season I painted this peace rose surrounded by sunlight reflected on water. May the end of this year be peaceful and light-filled for all of you my friends.
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Peace Rose

Framed Original Watercolor $500

"Peace Rose" is mounted in a gold frame with textured paper matting.

Please get in touch via email before purchasing so that shipping/delivery charges can be calculated for your location.

All purchases are processed through PayPal. Shipping charges are included in the total. 8.25% sales tax is applied to all sales originating in California.

Peace Rose
Watercolor on Paper     Painting 18" x 6"    Frame 24" x 12"
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Dogwood
Dogwood trees have always enchanted me. I appreciate their delicacy, the texture of the flowers, and their ability to grow and bloom in harsh climates. I used to stare out the classroom window at an old and beautiful dogwood tree in bloom. I was hardly able to concentrate on my schoolwork because the tree was so captivating.
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Dogwood

Framed Original Watercolor $500

"Dogwood" is mounted in a gold frame with textured paper matting.

Please get in touch via email before purchasing so that shipping/delivery charges can be calculated for your location.

All purchases are processed through PayPal. Shipping charges are included in the total. 8.25% sales tax is applied to all sales originating in California.

Dogwood
Watercolor on Paper     Painting 18" x 6"    Frame 24" x 12"
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Gardenia
Gardenia bushes lined the front of my bure (Fijian-style thatch-roofed house) on Naitauba Island in Fiji. When the gardenia’s bloomed hundreds of the fragrant, white flowers dressed up my simple quarters. The fragrance was overwhelming. I swoon just thinking about it.
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Gardenia

Framed Original Watercolor $500

"Gardenia" is mounted in a gold frame with textured paper matting.

Please get in touch via email before purchasing so that shipping/delivery charges can be calculated for your location.

All purchases are processed through PayPal. Shipping charges are included in the total. 8.25% sales tax is applied to all sales originating in California.

Gardenia
Watercolor on Paper     Painting 18" x 6"    Frame 24" x 12"
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Springtime at Shell Beach
The northern coast of California is rugged and oozing beauty. Calla lilies line Highway 1 adjacent to dunes and ice plant. I love the sea, I love the sun, I love calla lilies. Does it get better?
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Springtime at Shell Beach

Framed Original Watercolor $500

"Springtime at Shell Beach" is mounted in a gold frame with textured paper matting.

Please get in touch via email before purchasing so that shipping/delivery charges can be calculated for your location.

All purchases are processed through PayPal. Shipping charges are included in the total. 8.25% sales tax is applied to all sales originating in California.

Springtime at Shell Beach
Watercolor on Paper     Painting 18" x 6"    Frame 24" x 12"
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Mango Calla
I really like painting calla lilies. The flowers are so strong, and their form is so classic. The leaves, too, are so supple, and are such a pleasing shape. I have painted a number of them, mostly white. So, I thought I would try another color since they appear in such an array of vibrant colors. Voilà, a mango calla.
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Mango Calla

Framed Original Watercolor $500

"Mango Calla" is mounted in a gold frame with textured paper matting.

Please get in touch via email before purchasing so that shipping/delivery charges can be calculated for your location.

All purchases are processed through PayPal. Shipping charges are included in the total. 8.25% sales tax is applied to all sales originating in California.

Mango Calla
Watercolor & 24k Gold Leaf on Paper     Painting 18" x 6"    Frame 24" x 12"
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Moonlight on the Water
Maybe this is a nighttime, full-moon view from the shore of Lake Biwa, on the island of Honshu in Japan. I’ll know it when I see it.
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Moonlight on the Water

Framed Original Watercolor $500

"Moonlight on the Water" is mounted in a gold frame with textured paper matting.

Please get in touch via email before purchasing so that shipping/delivery charges can be calculated for your location.

All purchases are processed through PayPal. Shipping charges are included in the total. 8.25% sales tax is applied to all sales originating in California.

Moonlight on the Water
Watercolor & Silver Leaf on Paper     Painting 18" x 6"    Frame 24" x 12"
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Asian Poppy
Asian poppy’s are another of my preferred flowers. Of course, they are lovely in their pink, orange, and red colors, but the thing that endears them to me is the wild stem that they grow. It runs this way, then that, and reminds me of dancers. One of my Asian poppy paintings alludes to this in its name; “Shimmy in the Garden”.
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Asian Poppy

Framed Original Watercolor SOLD

"Asian Poppy" is mounted in a gold frame with textured paper matting.

Please get in touch via email before purchasing so that shipping/delivery charges can be calculated for your location.

All purchases are processed through PayPal. Shipping charges are included in the total. 8.25% sales tax is applied to all sales originating in California.

Asian Poppy
Watercolor & 24k Gold Leaf on Paper     Painting 18" x 6"    Frame 24" x 12"
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A Perfect Night
A chrysanthemum in its perfection being viewed with the light of the full moon. In Japan there is a tradition of inviting guests to your garden when the chrysanthemum is in perfect bloom, timing the gathering with the full moon. A night of taking in beauty, quiet wonderment with a little green tea.
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A Perfect Night

Framed Original Watercolor SOLD

"A Perfect Night" is mounted in a gold frame with textured paper matting.

Please get in touch via email before purchasing so that shipping/delivery charges can be calculated for your location.

All purchases are processed through PayPal. Shipping charges are included in the total. 8.25% sales tax is applied to all sales originating in California.

A Perfect Night
Watercolor & Silver Leaf on Paper     Painting 18" x 6"    Frame 24" x 12"
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Calla 2
I have always been a great admirer of the calla lily. I love the structural quality of the flower and plant, the simplicity of line. I love it that you can find these flowers growing wild along the California coast.
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Calla 2

Framed Original Watercolor SOLD

"Calla 2" is mounted in a gold frame with textured paper matting.

Please get in touch via email before purchasing so that shipping/delivery charges can be calculated for your location.

All purchases are processed through PayPal. Shipping charges are included in the total. 8.25% sales tax is applied to all sales originating in California.

Calla 2
Watercolor & 24k Gold Leaf on Paper     Painting 18" x 6"    Frame 24" x 12"
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Sunlight on the Water
Looking at the sunlight on the water has been a lifelong enjoyment. There is just nothing quite like it. Peace is what happens to me when I sit and contemplate the brilliant patterns of light dancing on water.
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Sunlight on the Water

Framed Original Watercolor SOLD

"Sunlight on the Water" is mounted in a gold frame with textured paper matting.

Please get in touch via email before purchasing so that shipping/delivery charges can be calculated for your location.

All purchases are processed through PayPal. Shipping charges are included in the total. 8.25% sales tax is applied to all sales originating in California.

Sunlight on the Water
Watercolor & 24k Gold Leaf on Paper     Painting 18" x 6"    Frame 24" x 12"
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Lightfall
When I asked a friend what his favorite flower is, he replied "a Japanese maple, even though it is not a flower." I agreed wholeheartedly. Maples have the most amazing delicacy, and their leaves change to flower-like colors each year. Their branches come in all kinds of shapes and textures, and some of them also change color with the seasons.
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Lightfall

Framed Original Watercolor $500

"Lightfall" is mounted in a gold frame with textured paper matting.

Please get in touch via email before purchasing so that shipping/delivery charges can be calculated for your location.

All purchases are processed through PayPal. Shipping charges are included in the total. 8.25% sales tax is applied to all sales originating in California.

Lightfall
Watercolor & 24k Gold Leaf on Paper     Painting 18" x 6"    Frame 24" x 12"
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Twice in a Blue Moon
I hung the bright moon on a pine-branch there;
   Then took it off,
      and hung it on elsewhere.

               Hokushi
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Twice in a Blue Moon

Framed Original Watercolor SOLD

"Twice in a Blue Moon" is mounted in a gold frame with textured paper matting.

Please get in touch via email before purchasing so that shipping/delivery charges can be calculated for your location.

All purchases are processed through PayPal. Shipping charges are included in the total. 8.25% sales tax is applied to all sales originating in California.

Twice in a Blue Moon
Watercolor & Silver Leaf on Paper     Painting 18" x 6"    Frame 24" x 12"
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Calla 3
A number of people have asked me to paint a calla lily similar to my original painting. I always enjoy it. The forms are so much fun to play with, and the gold leaf “pops” the flower out of the background marvelously.
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Calla 3

Framed Original Watercolor SOLD

"Calla 3" is mounted in a gold frame with textured paper matting.

Please get in touch via email before purchasing so that shipping/delivery charges can be calculated for your location.

All purchases are processed through PayPal. Shipping charges are included in the total. 8.25% sales tax is applied to all sales originating in California.

Calla 3
Watercolor & 24k Gold Leaf on Paper     Painting 18" x 6"    Frame 24" x 12"
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Height of Summer
Dahlias are another flower that I grow and admire. I delight in their beauty, structure, and striking colors.This painting is a continuation of my flower series. This time I drew inspiration from Art Nouveau, creating a detailed halo to further celebrate the central dahlia.
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Height of Summer

Framed Original Watercolor SOLD

"Height of Summer" is mounted in a gold frame with textured paper matting.

Height of Summer
Watercolor & 24k Gold Leaf on Paper     Painting 18" x 6"    Frame 24" x 12"
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One of the Three

A commissioned painting of Red-Crowned Cranes in a warm, autumn landscape. The sky is filled with orange and gold, which is set off by the cool, evening-darkened mountains.
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One of the Three

Framed Original Watercolor SOLD

"One of the Three" is mounted in a gold frame with textured paper matting.

One of the Three
Watercolor/24k Gold Leaf on Paper     Painting 14" x 11"    Frame 20" x 17"
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Gods of the Marshes

A commissioned painting of Red-Crowned Cranes in a warm, autumn landscape. The sky is filled with orange and gold, which is set off by the cool, evening-darkened mountains.
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Gods of the Marshes

Framed Original Watercolor SOLD

"Gods of the Marshes" is mounted in a gold frame with textured paper matting.

Gods of the Marshes
Watercolor/24k Gold Leaf on Paper     Painting 12" x 6"    Frame 16.5" x 11"
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Evening Declaration

A lot of people respond to these paintings of red-crowned cranes. This is another commissioned piece, and I loved doing it. I am excited to explore these Japanese screen-inspired images further using brilliant color and bold landscape elements with the gold leaf clouds. I get dazzled in the process!
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Evening Declaration

Framed Original Watercolor SOLD

"Evening Declaration" is mounted in a gold frame with textured paper matting.

Evening Declaration
Watercolor/24k Gold Leaf on Paper     Painting 12" x 6"    Frame 16.5" x 11"

Inspiration

in homage to the masters

  • Japanese Screens (Byōbu)
    Japanese Silk Screen Panel showing Red-Crowned Crane in Foreground with gold foil surrounding.

    I have always been impressed by the delicacy and refinement of byōbu, the silk screen paintings done by Japanese masters. They make liberal use of metal foils in many of them, and the effect is beautiful and dramatic. Gustav Klimt, an artist that I also admire, was equally inspired by their use of gold leaf.

    Japanese Silk Screen Panel showing Red-Crowned Crane in Foreground with gold foil surrounding.

    The scenes depicted in the screen paintings are beautifully composed and delicately rendered, a delight to the eye.

    Japanese Silk Screen Panel, floral composition with liberal use of gold foil.
  • Japanese Woodblock Prints (Mokuhanga)
    Mt Fuji Island River, Woodblock print by Hasui
    Mt Fuji Island River 1942 - Hasui

    A few years ago I visited an exhibition of mokuhanga at the Palace of the Legion of Honor in San Francisco. There was a display of one of the creations of the great Hokusai. Each of the carved woodblocks for a single print was displayed in a glass case. I think there must have been 12-15 individual blocks, precisely carved and stained with the pigment that was used on that block. That single image represented the skilled work of numerous people.

    Full Moon in Magome, Woodblock print by Hasui
    Full Moon in Magome - Hasui

    I have loved the "feel" of Japanese woodblock prints, the soft pastels, the beautiful full moon night scenes, and the deep and long perspectives since childhood. Hiroshige first caught my attention, and then Hasui. They are my favorites. But many other woodblock artists have done work that enchants me and inspires my imagination.

    The Maple Trees at Mama, Tekona Shrine and Tsugi Bridge - Hiroshige
    The Maple Trees at Mama, Tekona Shrine and Tsugi Bridge - Hiroshige
  • Mughal & Rajasthani painting
    Emperor Jahangir weighing his son Prince Khurram by Manohar Das
    Emperor Jahangir weighing his son Prince Khurram - Manohar Das

    Rajasthani and Mughal paintings, particularly of the 17th and 18th centuries are the epitome of romantic art, especially the Kishangarh school paintings. Typically they depict court life during Mughal rule. Although Mughal in style, many of the paintings depict Krishna and Radha, a favorite subject of the era's painters. The tales of Krishna and Radha are the world's greatest love story.

    Full Moon in Magome, Woodblock print by Hasui
    Mughal Miniature Painting

    The Rasa Leela is represented in many paintings of the era. The romance of court life; the beauty, serenity, and peaceful love that is communicated in these paintings is the stuff dreams are made of.

    Radha and Krishna in the Boat of Love - Nihal Chand
    Radha and Krishna in the Boat of Love - Nihal Chand
  • Claude Monet
    Water Lilies - Claude Monet

    I was wandering through LACMA one afternoon. I turned a corner and was confronted by a huge canvas of Monet’s Water Lilies. In fact, Water Lilies consumed my entire field of view. It was breathtaking. And, surprisingly, I wept. That is not typical of me, but that is how moved I was by that vision.

    Garden Path at Giverny - Claude Monet

    I was already mesmerized by water before I really noticed Monet’s work. In my early teen years I gained a great appreciation for his use of color and his technique, especially his paintings of his lily ponds.

    Water Lilies 1906 - Claude Monet
  • Georgia O'Keeffe
    Yellow Calla Lily - Georgia O'Keeffe
    Yellow Calla Lily - Georgia O'Keeffe

    O’Keeffe’s watercolors , her close-up paintings of flowers, and the desert landscapes she painted have been an enjoyment that I have returned to throughout my life. She had the knack.

    Pawpaw Tree, Iao Valley, Maui - Georgia O'Keeffe
    Pawpaw Tree, Iao Valley, Maui - Georgia O'Keeffe

    O’Keeffe’s sensibilities and her expressiveness were unique. Her paintings communicate a simple and uncomplicated approach and relationship to her work; that’s what I see in her work. I think that living in New Mexico was a wise choice for her. It allowed her and her art to “flower”.

    Jack In the Pulpit #4 - Georgia O'Keeffe
    Jack In the Pulpit #4 - Georgia O'Keeffe
  • Gustav Klimt
    Portrait of Adele Bloch Bauer - Gustav Klimt
    Portrait of Adele Bloch Bauer - Gustav Klimt

    Klimt is another painter whose work I fell in love with at first sight. His paintings are so strong and bold, yet delicate and refined, also. Of course, his use of gold leaf set him apart. He tired of being asked to always include it in his commissions, but whether or not he was weary of being constrained he never failed to deliver a beautiful image.

    The Kiss - Gustav Klimt
    The Kiss - Gustav Klimt

    Klimt’s figurative work with the inclusion of bold patterns makes a compelling combination. I have worked with the Neue Galerie in the publication of numerous books and catalogs. Neue represents the best of the 19th and 20th century Eastern European painters, and Klimt is one of them. The association that I have had with Neue Galerie has fanned the flames of my interest in Klimt and many other pre-WWII Eastern European artists. Woman in Gold is a fascinating movie about Klimt's painting, Portrait of Adele Bloch Bauer.

    Golden Apple Tree - Gustav Klimt
    Golden Apple Tree - Gustav Klimt
  • Pacific Ocean
    Smithereened - Nara Pilgrim Wood
    Smithereened - Nara Pilgrim Wood

    The Pacific Ocean has been a source of wonder and inspiration for my entire life. When I am far away from the ocean I miss it. When I return I can feel the ocean from a hundred miles away. It is a part of my home.

    Everywhere, All At Once - Nara Pilgrim Wood
    Everywhere, All At Once - Nara Pilgrim Wood

    The sea is always changing. It is unpredictable; extraordinarily powerful and beautiful, both. It is best to approach the sea humbly, understanding that it, without any intent, can humble you in a moment. The sea requires respect and reminds one of his or her place.

    Rise and Fall - Nara Pilgrim Wood
    Rise and Fall - Nara Pilgrim Wood