Kusunoki Masashige Statue

by | Oct 6, 2015 | People, Portraits, Watercolors | 0 comments

This watercolor was inspired by the statue of Kusunoki Masashige in Japan.
This watercolor was inspired by the statue of Kusunoki Masashige in Japan.

This is an 11×17 watercolor of the Kusunoki Masashige statue in Japan.

This painting was inspired by the wonderful statue of Kusunoki Masashige, just outside Tokyo’s Imperial Palace. I don’t pretend to be an authority on Kusunoki Masashige, but the story of this extremely brave, gifted, and dedicated Samurai is an amazing one. I encourage you to check it out. This is an 11×17 watercolor, painted on Stratmore paper with Cottman’s paint.

As usual, I let the light and dark areas define the subject of the painting. After making off the lightest portions, I let the colors mix on the paper to convey the feeling I wanted. This angle makes the Samurai seem very strong and ominous. For that reason, I chose to let the darker, heavier tones migrate to the rider, while the warmer colors made up his horse.