Façade of Tokyo

Size: 7.5x 10.5 inches

This piece was inspired by the Kizushi Restaurant in the Ningyocho district of Tokyo. Part of my Wanderlust Watercolour collection, I want to take my patrons on journeys to different corners of the world, to places with different cultures and images.

I adore travelling to Tokyo. One of my favourite things to do when I visit is to eat my way from district to district. It was apt that I capture the façade of a restaurant as part of this series. As I put pen to paper and added washes of colour, I thought of that feeling you get when you walk up to a restaurant for the first time, feeling a sense of anticipation and excitement for the meal you’re about to have, not quite sure what lies beyond that threshold.

As I thought of my travel series, I wanted to create my works in line and wash. I like the control and freedom I can exert and modulate with line, from suggesting form and shapes to creating shadows and textures. Having creating the impression of this façade, I then filled out the piece with exaggerated colour in layers of watercolour washes to create a vibrant painting that played with colour and shadows