Japanese Garden, São Paulo, Brazil

In São Paulo Brazil there is a large community of people of Japanese descent that live in one part of the city known as a sort of Japanese town that,  like Japan, was very crowded. The side walks were narrow and the streets lined with many shops. I really wanted to make a painting there but it seemed hopeless because there was nowhere to sit, let alone stand, and the views were not all that good from the main street. Finally I ducked down a little alley and there was a small Japanese-style garden with some food stands and souvenirs for sale. There was an amazing coy pond with large flat rocks next to it where I could sit. That is where I made this painting, which shows part of the pond, an umbrella, flowers, trees, and a twisting staircase.

Shadows contain light and colour. A common mistake among amateurs is to use black for a shadow when in fact a dark blue, brown or green could be used. In this example the shadow on the umbrella in the center of the painting has deep red/crimson shadows. The stairs and the fish also have warm purples and oranges for shadows. This is the way to create realistic light-filled shadows. The impressionists did this all the time. Afterwards, the fauvists started using black for shadows just to be different. Rules are meant to be broken in art.

5x7" Watercolour, 2014