Have you heard of the The Wise Monkeys of Japan? The source that popularized this pictorial maxim is a 17th Century carving over the door of the famous Tosho-gu shrine in Nikko, Japan. I had the pleasure to visit the shrine in 2010. 

Hidari Jingoro did the carving following the philosophy of Tendai-Buddhist legend representing the three dogmas of the so-called middle school of the sect.

The three monkeys are names Mizaru (see no evil), Kikazaru (hear no evil) and Iwazaru (speak no evil)

I created three paintings honoring each one of these monkeys. The paintings are 24x18", acrylic and oil pastels on acid free paper. They are sold unframed. Each cost $550 including free shipping in the USA.  They are titled Say Nothing, Hear Nothing, and See Nothing.

I am very active in LinkedIn and in the last few weeks several of my connections brought up the subject of happiness. I was reading Harari's Homo Deus book where he addresses this same topic in the first few pages of the book. So... I thought it was about time I talk about happiness. 

Happiness cannot be bought, acquired by osmosis, and/or suddenly found when you meet someone new. Happiness does not come from external events and/or possessions. True happiness is present inside yourself. If you are walking through life saying that you will be happy the day that you [win the lotto, find the perfect partner, get the job x]; in other words, expecting that external factors will bring you happiness, you will probably live without satisfaction.

I am a practicing Zen Buddhist, and I believe that happiness comes from my inner self.  You might wonder how you find the seed of happiness inside you to make it grow and let it become the essence of your being. I recommend that you start looking for the most basic... focus on your breathing. Breathing, in particular during the pandemic we are going through, is a luxury that as of this writing 3 million individuals do not have the luxury to continue doing.  Take a deep breath and smile... that smile is watering the seed of happiness. 

Do external events affect me? Yes, of course. However, they do not erode my natural state of happiness. They act like icing on a cake. You could have the most amazing cake, and add some icing that gives an awkward flavor or one that enhances the flavor of the cake. Nevertheless, the amazing cake remains the same.  I have experienced loss, anxiety, fear, passion, and crazy love... all these were icing on my cake of happiness. 

In French, we have an expression that says état de bonheur permanent. This is how I live my life. 

Want to learn more about this philosophy? I recommend following Zen Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh and his Plum Village Monastery in France.

​Thank you for reading and I see you in two weeks. 

Virtual Art Exhibition - April 23rd, 2021 - 10-11 a.m. Pacific Time at https://meet.google.com/wgu-nsiv-ehz - A display of paintings by Cecilia Anastos related to the concept of womanhood.
Open Studio / Gallery Art Exhibition in San Diego, CA.
Date:Saturday, April 25th, 2021
Time: 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. / 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. / 5 pm to 7 pm. Select a slot using the RSVP form below.
Event Title: Womanhood in Paintings - An exhibition of figurative paintings related to women (portraits, high heals, silhouettes, etc)
Location: Mira Mesa, San Diego, CA - This is an open air studio and well-fitted masks are required at all times. No more than 10 individuals at a time will be present during the exhibit. No walks ins. You will receive address upon registration.

Every week I send out to my email subscribers a private message where I present the painting of the week with a discount coupon, and I discuss a topic related to cyber defense. In these blog posts, I will talk more about art and philosophy of life. If you want to receive cyber defense tips, I suggest you subscribe to my weekly emails. 

Topics in this post are:

• Abstract painting - Tokyo Drift
• Philosophy of Life Section
• Upcoming Art Events

Today's painting is an abstract titled ​Tokyo Drift. Why the title? Well, because I was preparing this for the Tokyo virtual exhibition. Then, it was decided that it was going to be a physical exhibition only and because of the pandemic and I cannot travel there this time. :-)
​
The choice of palette has to do with the importance of colors in Japan. Red and white are prominent traditional colors in Japan. Both colors are used in decorations at events which represent happiness and joy. Yellow denotes sunshine and nature in Japan. Black is a popular color in Japan for electronics and clothing. It mainly denotes non-being, mystery, night and anger.

Size: 24x18"
Medium: Acrylic paint
Surface: acid free paper.
Year: 2021
​Unframed. $550 Free shipping in the USA.

For this technique I am using in this painting, the acrylic paint needs to be mixed with an extender because the key is to prevent its quick drying. I cannot paint with oil paints because I am very allergic to thinner. Therefore, I had to figure out how to make the acrylic behave like oil when I want to do something that requires a lot of merging and meeting of colors. 

I like how a light color frame dresses the painting without robbing its delicacy. Note that it goes best in a wall which space is also defined by other objects. Look at how it is mounted on the bathroom wall, and above the desk / drawer table. 

Have you heard of Non-fungible Token artwork? It is a digital image with a very unique signature that makes unquestionable the authenticity of the work. This particular painting is also available as NFT at 
https://rarible.com/token/0x60f80121c31a0d46b5279700f9df786054aa5ee5:516808?

I will donate 100% of the sale price of the NFT to the nonprofit organization True Blue Service Dogs, Inc. 

Under this section, you will read about books I have read, and thoughts and tribulations of a thinker. 
I have began reading the book titled Homo Deus by Yuval Noah Harari. I have already read his first book titled Sapiens and I have very much enjoyed it. Something new that I learned from that book is that all species were roaming Earth at the same time; rather than the previous concept taught at school that each one of them was on the verge of extinction before the new one was taking over. 

Homo Deus was written in 2015, and interestingly, it begins with the topic of pandemics that took placed from the beginning of the Homo Sapiens time until 2015. The author stated at the time of writing the book that we no longer needed to worry much about famines, pandemic and war. Interesting turn of events we are living, aren't we? 

He posed this question - "What are the projects that will replace famine, plague and war at the top of the human agenda in the twenty-first century? I think climate change is on top of the list.

He touches on the concept of happiness and I will explore that on my next post.

Happy Easter and Passover!

Virtual Art Exhibition - April 23rd, 2021 - 10-11 a.m. Pacific Time at https://meet.google.com/wgu-nsiv-ehz - A display of paintings by Cecilia Anastos related to the concept of womanhood.

Open Studio / Gallery Art Exhibition in San Diego, CA.
Date:Saturday, April 25th, 2021
Time: 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. / 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. / 5 pm to 7 pm. Select a slot using the RSVP form below.
Event Title: The Concept of Women Represented in Paintings - An exhibition of figurative paintings related to women (portraits, high heals, silhouettes, etc)
Location: Mira Mesa, San Diego, CA 92126 - This is an open air studio and well-fitted masks are required at all times. No more than 10 individuals at a time will be present during the exhibit. You will receive exact location upon registration. No walk-in allowed.