Corona time.
Time out of time.
Now. 

I'm staying home in relative comfort, for which I am grateful. My heart goes out to all the people who are suffering during this time. I hold everyone in my heart and send out prayers to all beings for happiness, peace and freedom.

I'm reflecting on the what, how's and why's of making art now and in the days to come when our lives will be able to open up again. In my down moments, I can't see how that will ever happen. In my optimistic moments, I look forward to seeing what kinds of lessons and changes we, as a global community, will be making to create the next world. In my down moments I'm sad that we aren't learning a thing - we go back to "normal" and humanity rides a fast train to doom. In my optimistic moments, I can see the beginning of a beautiful new world. 

I'm still making art because we have to keep the portal to the imaginal realm of creation open, so the problems that need solving can be found. I'm still making art because we need to see the creation of art as a agent of change. I'm still making art because we need comfort and joy. I'm still making art because this is what Love leads me to do, because Love, as art, can hold all of what's happening so we don't have to do it alone.

Right now, my art looks like colorful books made of tempera paint, fanciful stories of dangers and dreams. My art looks like small zines of life in Corona times as experienced through the perspective of Dash the Adorable Dog. My art looks like messy paper, words printed in pencil and oil pastels and sloppy stitchery. 

I'm learning what Now is by living the same day over and over, noticing the very small things that make Now  constantly changing. 

I have my house, my husband and Dash. I have technology that allows me to stay connected with my family and friends. I have all of time, out of time - to watch Life, to make art, to see Love holding "what is" with great compassion and wisdom, and to just wait. 

​May you be happy. May you be at peace. May you be free. 

One of my New Year's resolutions is to complete a 30-Day Yoga program. This morning while I was in downward dog, I noticed this painting behind me. It's called "Family", and it made me think of all the people I know.

Afterwards when I was flipping through Instagram I was struck by how many artists I know now. A lot of artists I just know through seeing their art on social media, but I've also met a lot of them in person. I've connected with so many artists who are not just good artists, but also just really good people. My heart is touched today by so many good people making art and putting it out into the world for others to see and enjoy. 

So thank you, good artist people, for keeping on when the world is scary. I appreciate being a part of this community of artists, and I just wanted to say "Thank You" today for what you do and who you are. Thank you!

Much love,
Sam

Way back in March I wrote a blog in which I asked "What if I let Love paint Love?"  Since then I have learned that I don't "let" it happen - Love will paint Love, and sometimes it looks like the painting above.

I've finally come to understand with clarity how my painting process works. It is very simply Love painting Love, or even more succinctly, it's Love loving Love. Love loves these paintings into being. 

I recently learned a new term - "don't know mind". It's the open mind/open heart of not knowing what will happen. It's how I've always approached painting. I never know what will happen until it happens, and then things, like the Little above, happen. I love this little painting so much because of how much wisdom and love she holds and is sharing. 

I've realized that all my paintings are offerings to, for and from Love. Today I'm sharing this realization and the beginning of this series of small, affordable paintings.  In February I'll have a studio celebration when I'll share them with the public - a LOVE fest! 

Much love,
Sam

I spent the other evening cutting up old starts that I had previously torn up to use in possible mixed media collage pieces. Using my handy dandy paper cutter, I made a delightful mess of papers. Cut, cut,cutting until my neck and body ached from sitting on the cement floor and looking down on the paper cutter for hours.

My plan is to make a bunch of little paintings, combining figurative, abstract elements and words. I'm painting these, sans paintbrush, using just my hands, paper towels and a chopstick by working on top of the pre-painted surfaces of the cut papers. Here's an example...

I'm super good with coming up with ideas, not always so good about following through, so we'll see what happens next. 

                                                                                    Growing Up

Two days ago my soon to be twelve year old grandson came up to me, face to face, put his hand in a horizontal salute at the top of his head and touched mine. He said, “Grandma I’m almost as tall as you.”

Almost every time I see my grandkids, one of them will do and say this to me. Being of Japanese ancestry and having taught kindergarten and first grade, kids did this to me all the time. In addition, I am a mother and a grandmother, so that's forty two years of having my shortness pointed out to me by children shorter than me. Forty two years!

Of course it runs in my family. My sister was an inch shorter than me. If I stand really tall I can round up to 5'1", which is two inches taller than my mom was. My daughter is two inches taller than me. When one of my aunts was in her 90’s, she had to stand on a box to reach the microphone on the podium to deliver her delightful words at my dad’s funeral.

I’ve been watching the tops of my grandkids' heads rise steadily up over these past twelve years. Their hand salutes are getting closer and closer to the top of my head. My "little" granddaughter is twelve now and tall enough that we have to stand back to back our compare heights, and a third party has to make the decision of who is taller. When I see her in a few weeks, I'm pretty sure the call will be in her favor. Soon, she'll be able to call me "her little grandma". How did this happen so fast? It seems like it was just the other day that I was bending over or lifting my grandkids up to plant a kiss on their heads. Now they're looking me in the face and patting the top of my head.

I saw my own children grow up into adulthood. I watched them bend over their elderly grandma and lovingly kiss the top of her head when they saw her alive for the last time. Now I see time flash forward to a future where I live a very long time... I see my grandkids, all grown up, bending down to kiss my head as I grow older and older, until one day, I leave my body to disperse back into the Everything. One day they will find themselves wrapped up in the infinite hug of the Universe, and they will hear their little grandma’s voice say, "Didn’t you know? You've always been this big."

(This blog has also been published in Fred Swan's September Edition of Second Tuesday.  Please check out Fred's wonderful collection of articles and thoughts about living and aging.) 

What if I let LOVE Paint LOVE?  (Wait, is that what I've already been doing, but I didn't have the awareness, understanding or words to say it before?) 

What if I painted something completely different?

What would that look like? 

What does Love Painting Love look like?  

Art Life 2018:

• Painted over 60 paintings.   
• Had art in 10 group shows, in the Portland area and out of state. 
• Solo show at RiverSea Gallery. 
• Taught 4 Paint With Me workshops.
• Taught a private workshop with a person who came  from Beirut, Lebanon to paint with me.
• Volunteered as a Portland Open Studios board member.
• Participating artist with Portland Open Studios.
• Sold 46 original paintings.
• Got a new dog. (#dashtheadorabledog)
• Got a mini-house at the beach.

I look at all this and think "Wow! That's a lot of good stuff.  Did I really work that hard?" 

One of the things that really came together in my art life this year is understanding how 
doing and not-doing work together, and how to trust that whatever my art and I need will come to us (or we will come to what we need).

The six paintings above are a few of my favorites from the year.  These are still available, either in my studio or at RiverSea Gallery.  Contact me or the gallery if you'd like a closer look or to purchase.  

I'm looking forward to the next year of art-making and all the things that come along with that.  We'll see what happens... 
​What are you looking for to happen next year?

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Pammy, Sammy, Tammy,
Annie, Frannie, Danni,
Terri, Carrie, Mary
​and Bob - not in that order... 7' X 7". $50 each. 

This was the Year of The Dog, on the Chinese calendar and in my home, because of Dash #dashtheadorabledog. This year's Littles for the Little Things show at Guardino Gallery celebrate pet ownership.  See them at the opening Friday, November 23 and through December 30.  

Having Dash makes every day a good day.  A portion of the sales of my Littles will be given to the Oregon Humane Society for the love and joy they add to the lives of the animals and people who come through their doors. 
​

Samyak Yamauchi, "The Strong One", 26" x 22" framed, $800 @ RiverSea Gallery

I hardly ever paint men. They just don't emerge as freely from my layers and marks as females do.  I've been thinking about why that is. I guess it's because I'm a woman, so that's the story I paint.

Like every woman I know, I've had my share of mistreatment and disrespect by males. From childhood through adulthood those men, unconsciously merged with the collective false myth of the male, have said and done really stupid and inappropriate things. When I do paint a male, he's usually paired with a dog, because there's nothing like a good dog to teach you how to be a good human.

I paint mostly women and girls. I paint women and girls who are fierce and funny, strong and smart, and connected to themselves and to others.  That's some of what will help move us out of this Bizarro World and into a world that is respectful and sustainable. 

It takes a lot of strength and courage to be a woman or man of integrity in this world right now, and I have  deep respect for those who  are willing to stand up for what is right and for who they are.