Atmospheric Paintings

This category includes a number of series that explore ephemeral atmospheric conditions through the medium of pigment and urethane on aluminum panel.

Among them are the Tasogare paintings, titled after an archaic Japanese term describing a specific threshold of dusk—when it becomes just dark enough that one can no longer discern whether the figure approaching is friend or stranger. In its original usage, tasogare meant “who goes there,” referring not only to a time of day but to a perceptual state shaped by ambiguity and a particular quality of fading light. The French phrase entre chien et loup—“between dog and wolf”—describes a similar condition: the moment when diminishing light blurs the boundary between the familiar and the unknown.

Other works in this category depict evanescent natural phenomena: the spring moon obscured by mist (Oborozuki), daytime moons visible against pale skies, the quiet diffusion of fog, and other transient conditions. Included are the Hamon paintings (derived from the cloud-like patterns along the edge of a Japanese sword), which are the genesis of my Clouds series. These paintings are grounded in close observation and shaped by mono no aware—an awareness of impermanence. They serve not as representations, but as records of perception, distilled through material and time.