Painting an 11-Meter Mural in Shizuoka

After coming back to Japan from the whirlwind that was New York, I got requested to paint my largest work to date: an 11-meter mural located in the little town of Miyakoda, Shizuoka. 

The day after I arrived in Tokyo, I hopped on the bullet train to view the location and take in the town for inspiration. It was scenery that I’ve deprived myself of for a year and all I could do was stare at the rolling mountains and blue skies filled with bellowing white clouds. These were a few elements that I took note of and crossed my fingers I could work it into the painting. 

The encompassing theme for the project was yugou, which means to unite. I decided that I wanted to create a painting with various large-scale elements that came together as one. 

I went back home and planned out the colors and shapes I hoped to achieve in this project down to the brushes that I would be using for each shade. Trying to figure out how how to logistically plan a mural was a bit of a learning curve, but I got on the right track thanks to the advice of friends. 

My assistant Rika and I woke up each morning to goats and frogs in the backyard of Shiro no Minka, the guesthouse that we stayed at for the duration of the project. This town surprised us in so many ways, and during our breaks we allowed ourselves to wander and experience the area. 

It was great to have passersby with their pet goats and the construction workers next door coming out to observe the progress. At the start of each day, I said good morning to the neighbors that would have this painting in their background for years to come.

After about four days of working, my brushwork slowed and I started to see the painting come to an end. But just when I thought I might be finishing up, I got advice from the owner of the town. He encouraged me to be more active in my movements and let elements of my textured style seep into the mural. Because I had done so much planning for this project, I was set on a concrete end-goal. But after the first layer was painted, I realized quickly that something was off. I decided to erase a lot of the hard shapes and top it off with splash marks and grand movements. I would slide down the ladder throughout the span of an 8-hour day to see how all of the marks were coming together, fixing specks and paint splatters along the way. 

Because I was so close to the wall at most times, it was hard to tell if a mark I had made would be too large or small for the space. With the hot sun beating down, I had to make decisions fast before the paint dried if I wanted to make adjustments. 

It’s great to see the shimmering of the gold paint from across the street, easily able to catch the eyes of those walking by. From a distance, I’ve been told the work resembles byobu, Japanese dividers that are known for depicting scenes of folklore and the natural world. New details and textures from the movement of the strokes also appear when you approach the wall. 

I want to thank each person at DLoFre’s welcomed me to Miyakoda during my stay. I feel so grateful to not only have had the opportunity to create a piece for the town, but to experience the history, philosophy, and warmth of the community.

If you would like to visit the mural, please head to: https://dlofre.jp/

A special thank you to the wonderful Rika who assisted with this project.