Echizen Washi

 I've been reading books written by Taro Okamoto ( 1911 - 1996 ) these days. I bought his books long time ago but they didn't inspire me then. But now it's just as if I were having a conversation with him when I read. Probably I was not ready before to understand what he means. He tells me to paint whatever images I have all in myself and try not to immitate anything from the past nor even something I painted yesterday. Then I start to think, " But what I paint can be something I have seen in the past. It's not easy to face  what I have in myself. " Then he says, " You may think .....( he writes just what I've thought ! ),  But don't think too much. Paint anyway. Anyone can create art if they can be honest to yourself not caring for what people might like. ". Yeah, that is my life. That is how I have lived in my life. My dear Mentor also keeps telling me the same thing believing that is how I've lived.