SEMI NO UCHIWA, 2011

Watercolor and gouache on paper and bamboo fan

Not for sale

I painted this uchiwa during a month-long stay in Kyoto in August. Japanese summers are oppressively hot and muggy, especially in Kyoto, where there is seldom a breeze to offer relief and central air conditioning is a rarity. Nearly everyone carries a fan to keep cool, so I painted this one for practical use and as a tribute to one of my favorite invertebrates. These cicadas are Graptopsaltria nigrofuscata, called aburazemi in Japanese. They are quite large.

I’ve always liked insects, and cicadas have a special place in my heart: memories of playing with brood cicadas while growing in the American Midwest, and listening to the songs of cicadas through those hot summer months in Japan. Hearing recordings of their singing transports me instantly to my favorite season (summer) in my favorite city (Kyoto).