Sunset Bridge

Sunset Bridge was painted for my undergraduate Senior Exhibition.

Like with Cave Nymph, Sunset Bridge was made by cutting a character out of masonite board and then gluing and nailing it onto a larger piece of masonite. After gessoing both boards, I began to paint the piece.

I studied the Japanese language a lot in my undergrad, and had done a project on identifying the differences between 舞子 (Maiko, an apprentice geisha) and 芸者 (Geisha). There are many Western misconceptions identifying them as courtesans, which they are not. Maiko put in years of training in various artistic forms to become a full Geisha who is essentially an entertainer.

I've always been awed by the beauty of sunsets, and I think there is something very tranquil about the way the sun reflects off of the water. I think especially beautiful is the play between light and shadow, of silhouettes and halos. I love the way that the shadows tend to be the opposite colour of the light, where as here the light is more orangey-yellow, it makes the shadows appear more purple.