In 2021 I was fortunate to receive the Victor Jacoby Award to fulfill a long-time dream to study the Japanese aesthetic philosophy of Wabi Sabi in Japan. Commonly used in our Western world as a design gimmick, and worse erroneously compared to “rustic styles”, Wabi Sabi is a philosophical and spiritual reflection on life, recognizing that beauty in the purest form is found in the ephemeral, the imperfect, and the traces and scars from the passage of time. The observation of this beauty allows us to reflect on and appreciate the fleeting nature of ourselves.

After 3 years of COVID delays, which altered my original plans, I finally arrived at Studio Kura, in Itoshima, Fukuoka prefecture, Kyushu on Feb 1st. Itoshoma is a small rural town, and my studio was an old traditional house between the ocean on one side and endless fields of cabbage on the other. It was a very serene and slow setting. Time was rhythmed by a loudspeaker playing a little melody for the whole valley every day at 7 am, Noon, and 5 pm. I quickly embraced this rhythm. The weather was like here in Humboldt, lots of rain, cool and foggy. It was the perfect setting for me to observe and reflect. I was in the company of 12 other artists from many nationalities and ages. Each working in different mediums and various projects, we created a very inspiring community for the month.

My approach was to explore by foot or bicycle the area and observe, allowing my aesthetic awareness to expand, and to be more sensitive to the emotional reactions to my visual field. Over time I became more and more attentive and empathetic to what I would usually dismiss: rotting cabbages in the fields, stains, damages and decay to objects and buildings, old worn-out clothing or broken things…. What drew my eye to these were the abstract compositions created by the passage of time. It became the source of my inspiration for my paintings. In continuing the theme that has focused my work for more than a decade, the memory of these observations became what I painted after my daily strolls. It was a very productive time, and the residency allowed me to work fully free of the many usual distractions polluting our days.

From my Western short-stay visiting perspective,… I observed a society and culture structured by strict norms defining human interactions. With quasi-inexistent crime, always very polite and helpful ways of communicating, and unshakable reliability of public services, I could let all my guard down and realized how much mind space I had gained because of it. I believe this was a big contributor to my creative productivity. Even in Tokyo, where I spent the last 3 days of my stay and which has a very different energy, I was free of what I know now are the many burdens we carry around in the US.

I want to reiterate that my experience is, of course, completely unaware of the realities of true real life there, I was just a guest at the surface of things…But I am grateful to have been given a little moment and space to grow and learn. Thank you to Victor Jacoby, Studio Kura, Hijo and Saori, my fellow residents, to Itoshima and Japan.

I will exhibit the Itoshima paintings in April and publish them as a book.

Marceau Verdiere
Artist, educator
Freshwater, California
marceauverdiere.com
Creeksidearts.org
Don’t stop until you reach the horizon…