I wish I could identify the woman who wrote the words above.
I suspect she lived in the countryside, and the bombers were flying, miles
above her, towards a Japanese city. The situation being what it was,
(they were after all the enemy from America), I admire how she was
able to appreciate the beauty of the moment, and how eloquently she
expressed it. This person, whoever she was, had the soul of a poet.
The Gyokuon-hōsō [lit. Jewel Voice Broadcast ], was the radio broadcast
in which the Japanese emperor Hirohito read out the Imperial Rescript on
the Termination of the War, announcing to the Japanese people that the
Japanese Government had accepted the Potsdam Declaration demanding
the unconditional surrender of the Japanese military at the end of
WWII. The speech was not made directly, but was replayed from a phonograph
recording made in the Tokyo Imperial Palace on August 14, 1945.
At its basic level this drawing is a portrait of an artist's muse. This
artist's muse to be accurate. Beyond that I would say it functions as layers
of metaphors on a personal and historical level. Metaphors that evolved
before and during work on the drawing, and are still evolving. What these
metaphors represent, I wouldn't try to put into words. Some could be
reasonably expressed, but others are quite vague. The drawing is an artistic
expression that is seen and felt. It doesn't really need to be precisely
defined. However the viewer comprehends it is fine with me.
wiseGEEK.org
What is a Muse?
Many artists, writers, poets and musicians have said that their creative
work has been inspired by an individual whom they refer to as their muse.
A muse is someone who has such an influence on another that he or she
becomes the focus and inspiration for that person's creative work. The
term has been used by men to describe the women that they have been in
love with and made the subject of their work.
28th (Friday)
Mild, sunny, spring-like day
Made a last few changes to 'The
Gallery Basement', cleaning, &
a couple of other chores. Text
from Myle: 'I've been out
running errands all day. The
weather is so nice.'
March
1st (Saturday)
Began research for the next
drawing, titled 'Minori Yoshikawa
Contemplating the Instrument of
Surrender'
3rd (Monday) [Minori Yoshikawa
contemplating The Instrument of
Surrender]
Quiet, cool, early spring day
4th (Tuesday) [Minori Yoshikawa
contemplating The Instrument of
Surrender]
Erlly telling me that Yumi liked the
portrait enough to use it as her
profile picture on Facebook. Told me
quite a few people were commenting on
it. Texting Reanne early this
afternoon, 'Luongo traded to Florida!'
Texted back, 'Omg!' 'With Tim Thomas
Lol' Cold, pentrating dampness, with
occasional heavy rain. Late this
evening exchanging texts with Reanne
about the Canucks game
5th (Wednesday) [Minori Yoshikawa
contemplating The Instrument of
Surrender]
Exchanging texts with Reanne near the
trade deadline, 'Confirmation No
trade of Kes!' Talking to Myle on the
phone, who was on the train with her
nephew at Metrotown
6th (Thursday) [Minori Yoshikawa
contemplating The Instrument of
Surrender]
Texting Reanne about Tim Thomas
Bobblehead Night being cancelled. 'Lol'
she texted back. While waiting in line
at the bank, Myle called telling me
her friend was 15 minutes late for
their lunch at City Market. On the way
back from Metrotown, someone sits
across the aisle, & starts talking. It
was Shari. Had a nice little chat, &
she mentioned that she liked the
website. 'See ya Shar,' I said as she
got off at Main. 'Bye Rich.' Text
from Eve late last night, who's
been suffering headaches she said,
& was having trouble with her stamp
'I'm free to meet up next week.'
7th (Friday) [Minori Yoshikawa
contemplating The Instrument of
Surrender]
Myle phoned, telling me she hasn't
worked out all week, & hit the
scales yesterday at 111. Met Yajing
at Robson Market, who helped
translate sections of the Gyokuon-
Hoso. Reanne texted a photo
through her apt window of workers
removing the image of Luongo on
Rogers Arena. 'Lol, I think
they'll leave it blank.'
8th (Saturday) [Minori Yoshikawa
contemplating The Instrument of
Surrender]
Text from Myle, '113 :(' Steady,
heavy rain
9th (Sunday) [Minori Yoshikawa
contemplating The Instrument of
Surrender]
Text to Myle, 'Hope u remembered
to spring forward... & leave the
carbs behind! :)'
10th (Monday) [Minori Yoshikawa
contemplating The Instrument of
Surrender]
Warm, sunny day. The crocusts
blooming in front of the old houses
on Cardero. Texted Reanne after
the game, 'Cannot believe what
happened tonite!! :(' She
texted back 'O man brutal',
'!?????', & 'ugh'
11th (Tuesday) [Minori Yoshikawa
contemplating The Instrument of
Surrender]
Sunny, warm weather continues
Text from Myle, 'Just finished
Dim Sum.'
12th (Wednesday) [Minori Yoshikawa
contemplating The Instrument of
Surrender]
Myle describing the Dim Sum in
Richmond. Didn't think much of
the food, & thought Bianca
looks better in photos than
she does 'live'. Both of us
think Cindy gained weight
Text from Eve, 'How bout Fri?'
Nice conversation with the
girl in the bong shop on
Davie. Told her about the
artwork, & said she was
interested in seeing some of
it. Would be nice to do a
portrait, & was thinking she
might be right for 'Reefer
Girl'. Text from Reanne this
evening, saying her friend
in the Aquilini office said
someone is coming back to
the Canucks, & someone is on
the way out
13th (Thursday) [Minori Yoshikawa
contemplating The Instrument of
Surrender]
Myle texted saying she had a
terrible migraine. Dropped in
on Reanne, who described the
problems she was having with
the rhino/leopard. Encouraged
her to think about doing a
graphic version, in airbrush
like 'Oriental Horse'. Hair
was colored mostly blonde,
& she looked striking in a
dark jacket & scarf. Girls
at Fatburger asking where I
bought the jacket. Explained
to her it was army surplus
14th (Friday) [Minori Yoshikawa
contemplating The Instrument of
Surrender]
Talking to Myle on the phone,
as she texted various photos of
shoes at Holt she wanted to buy
Met Eve at Robson Market, &
went for Korean at Norboo, a
few doors down. When we came
out the skies had totally
cleared, & there was a lovely
warmth in the sun. Spent some
time at Dollarama trying to
find a suitable jar for her
plant
15th (Saturday) [Minori Yoshikawa
contemplating The Instrument of
Surrender]
Texted Reanne saying I heard
Naslund might be coming back
to Vancouver. Texted back,
'Yeah we thought he might be a
contender since he's leaving
his GM job in Sweden after
this season... Hmmmmmmm.'
Finished outline this evening
16th (Sunday)
Overcast, light rain off & on
Glimpse of the girl at the
hookah place. Thinking I'd like
to do a portrait of her, for
sure
17th (Monday)
Working on photo collage with
Eve, 'Eve & The Galaxies #4'
Some nice warmth in the
sunshine downtown, alternating
with sections of cold wind in
the shade
18th (Tuesday)
Talking with Myle on the phone
for an hour or so. Is
considering doing the
procedure in Denver
19th (Wednesday)
Korean brunch with Myle at
Jang Mo Jib on Kingsway in
Burnaby. Trying to help her
decide which shoes to buy,
which included flipping coins,
choosing a hand, & picking
one of two paper slips from a
bowl. Showed her a photo of
the drawing. 'Do you know who
this is?' I asked, handing it
to her. 'It's your idol,' she
replied. Visited a 'pillow
place' across the street,
after eating. Said she
wanted to go there for years,
but had never gotten around
to it. Some nice sun, with a
freezing wind
20th (Thursday) [Minori Yoshikawa
contemplating The Instrument of
Surrender]
Bright sun, mild temperatures
21st (Friday) [Minori Yoshikawa
contemplating The Instrument of
Surrender]
Talking to Myle on the phone
for an hour or so this afternoon
A nice glow of early spring
sunshine upstairs at Robson
Market
22nd (Saturday) [Minori Yoshikawa
contemplating The Instrument of
Surrender]
Showing Reanne a photo of the
outline of Gyokuon-Hoso, &
explaining to her what it was
all about. Starting to say
something about 'I hope she
sees ...' or 'I hope she
likes...' Meaning, I think, she
hopes that Minori sees it &
appreciates it. Later in the
afternoon showed the Shanghai
girl the outline. Very
observant girl. Said she liked
the way I wrote the title
across the top, & translated
sections of the Kanji in the
transcript. Half an hour later,
was able to show Michelle the
outline at the Bute store. She
looked good today. Overcast,
with rain off & on
23rd (Sunday) [Minori Yoshikawa
contemplating The Instrument of
Surrender]
Text from Myle early this
this evening, 'I made my first
banana bread with walnuts!!!'
Clear & sunny, a little chilly
in the shade
24th (Monday) [Minori Yoshikawa
contemplating The Instrument of
Surrender]
Showing Errly the outline of
the drawing, explaining that
Minori was my Muse. Said she
thought Yumi should be my Muse
as well. A cashier nearby
asked if I was the one who
did the portrait of Yumi,
'The one at Main & Hastings.'
Talking to Myle for an hour
or so this afternoon. Texted
Eve about going for Indian
later in the week. Texted
back, 'It'll have to be next
week. I am gonna do a 7 day
juice cleanse this week
Let's see if I survive. lol'
25th (Tuesday) [Minori Yoshikawa
contemplating The Instrument of
Surrender]
Talking to Aarathi for the
first time in a few weeks
Showed her the outline for the
drawing. Recognized that it
was Minori, & said she thought
the Kanji looked 'beautiful'
Discussed a new idea I have
for the 'cricket' drawing,
which she thought was good
The search for the cricket bat
is on. Told me she liked to
make some Indian style chicken
dish. Overcast, with rain
26th (Wednesday) [Minori Yoshikawa
contemplating The Instrument of
Surrender]
Myle texting photos of crows
she claimed were 'following'
her. Told her they were trying
to be friends. Met a new
Japanese girl at Donburi, from
Osaka. Knew who Sichayo &
Chisato were, & told me that
they had returned to Japan
Was quite interested in the
work I showed her, & I told
her I'd like to show her the
portraits of the girls next
week some time
27th (Thursday) [Minori Yoshikawa
contemplating The Instrument of
Surrender]
Text from Myle: 'Too scared
to leave the house. So many
birds on my front lawn
pecking the grass.'
28th (Friday) [Minori Yoshikawa
contemplating The Instrument of
Surrender]
Overcast, rain, clearing a
little in the afternoon
29th (Saturday) [Minori Yoshikawa
contemplating The Instrument of
Surrender]
Showing the girl at Fatburger
the 'Seahorse' & the 'Scorpion'
Prefered the later as, she
explained, she liked the
'darkness' of it
30th (Sunday) [Minori Yoshikawa
contemplating The Instrument of
Surrender]
Talking to Reanne this morning,
whose rhino project has
devolved into a dinosaur. Said
she was working on sketches
for the dream project I
suggested last week, &
described in detail a scene
from a dream she had, & how
she might make it work as a
drawing. On the bus to
Abbotsford was thinking
about the dream I had of
the barren landscape,
distant mountains, dark sky
threatening snow, & the blue
butterfly, which was Minori
31st (Monday) [Minori Yoshikawa
contemplating The Instrument of
Surrender]
Loaned Aarathi 'Jasmine Blue'
Clear, with nice warmth in the
sunshine
April
1st (Tuesday) [Minori Yoshikawa
contemplating The Instrument of
Surrender]
Text from Myle: 'I won the
Lottery!!!' Replied, 'No
way!!! 'Me too!! :)'
View of the blossom trees
from Skytrain, & snow-
covered Lions, was quite
lovely, in the warm
sunshine
2nd (Wednesday) [Minori Yoshikawa
contemplating The Instrument of
Surrender]
Myle called from Skytrain at
Oakridge, on her way downtown
An hour later she called from
Robson, & texted a photo of a
white blazer she purchased
Text from Eve, who quit her
program. 'I didn't last haha
3 days I was dying.' Showed
Tokyo girl at Donburi the
four portraits of the girls
who worked there. Liked the
one of Chisato, & remarked
about how well I did the
Kanji. Less sun than yesterday
3rd (Thursday) [Minori Yoshikawa
contemplating The Instrument of
Surrender]
Text from Myle this morning:
'I'm heading dt.' Met her on
Robson, where she parked her
car, & helped her pick out a
jacket at Zara's, and then did
a 'walk thru' at Victoria's
Secret. Impressed with the
staircase, in ornate metal &
bevelled glass, that went into
the basement. Overcast, heavy
rain this afternoon
4th (Friday) [Minori Yoshikawa
contemplating The Instrument of
Surrender]
Mainly overcast, but mild
5th (Saturday) [Minori Yoshikawa
contemplating The Instrument of
Surrender]
Nice talk with Reanne this
morning. Explained what the
'Jewel Voice Broadcast' was,
showed her the highlighted
definition of an artist's muse,
& how it all tied in together,
with Minori as my muse. Was
happy to hear how work was
progressing on her 'dream'
drawing, & I described to her
my butterfly dream, & how
Minori was the butterfly in it
Showed the girl at Fatburger a
number of drawings, including
'Meltdown', 'Pulling the Plug',
& the portraits of Natalie,
Shari, & Eve. Thought 'Girl
from Borneo' was 'comforting'
Said she was looking forward
to seeing more of the work
Had a chat with the girl at
the bong shop. Seems to be a
trace of an accent in some of
her speech. Would love to do
a portrait of her
6th (Sunday) [Minori Yoshikawa
contemplating The Instrument of
Surrender]
Altering the name of the
drawing to 'Gyokuon-Hoso: The
Jewel Voice Broadcast [Minori
Yoshikawa Contemplating the
Imperial Rescript on the
Termination of the War]
7th (Monday) [Minori Yoshikawa
contemplating The Instrument of
Surrender]
8th (Tuesday) [Minori Yoshikawa
contemplating The Instrument of
Surrender]
Korean soup at a place on
Kingsway, west of Knight. Myle
wasn't thrilled with the waitress
Image of her with arm behind the
back of chair, giving the old
woman the evil eye. Nice little
tour of 2 or 3 Vietnamese
groceries, which were rich in
character. One had a contraption
with a tank & rollers used to
crush liquid out of raw sugar
canes. Some very exotic fruits &
frozen fish. Exchanging some
emails with Reanne, including
one quite late expressing her
frustration at the Canuck
situation
9th (Wednesday) [Minori Yoshikawa
contemplating The Instrument of
Surrender]
Chinese lunch this time, at
Ken's on Kingsway. BBQ duck on
white rice. Myle insisted I
finish the bok choy, but didn't
care much for her noodles
During lunch Reanne sent an
email saying Marcus Naslund was
rumoured to be the next GM. In
the sunshine, on the terrace at
Mcd's on Arbutus. Text from
Myle: 'Just puked & finished
washing up! Blossoms in
Shaughnessy were lovely
Dropped in on Aarathi, who told
me India had lost to Sri Lanka,
in a version of the cricket
World Cup
10th (Thursday) [Minori Yoshikawa
contemplating The Instrument of
Surrender]
Text from Myle, who was visiting
her father at the cemetery. Text
from Eve, who was working on her
stamp, but didn't seem overly
happy with the results,
'Hopefully will get better next
round. Text from Reanne, 'I
totally agree!' (with my opinion
on Naslund for GM)
11th (Friday) [Minori Yoshikawa
contemplating The Instrument of
Surrender]
Myle phoned on her way to her
sister's in Richmond. Showing
the girl at Donburi more artwork
& the printout on Utamaro. Her
name is Kana. Sunny, warm
'Italian' girl back at LD
Taking a course at Kwantlan
College in Langley
13th (Saturday) [Minori Yoshikawa
contemplating The Instrument of
Surrender]
Text from Myle, who is
disappointed with her latest
white jacket. The Masters
this afternoon, won by Bubba
Watson. Clear, warm weather
continues
14th (Monday) [Minori Yoshikawa
contemplating The Instrument of
Surrender]
15th (Tuesday) [Minori Yoshikawa
contemplating The Instrument of
Surrender]
Talking a little with Aarathi
Not convinced she's too interested
in doing the drawing. While
talking to the 'Fatburger' girl
threw out the portrait word for
the first time. A sort of neutral
reaction
16th (Wednesday) [Minori Yoshikawa
contemplating The Instrument of
Surrender]
Exchanging texts with Myle, Eve,
& Reanne today. This afternoon
showed girl at the bong shop
some of the art, including 'Karl
Marx'. Totally impressed with
her reaction to the work. A 10
for sure! Ended up giving her
the 'Amex' photo. Her name is
Fran, originally from Manchester,
UK. Looking forward to showing
her more work next week
17th (Thursday) [Minori Yoshikawa
contemplating The Instrument of
Surrender]
Korean lunch with Myle on Kingsway,
near Metrotown. Heavy rain tonight,
with gusts of wind
18th (Friday) [Minori Yoshikawa
contemplating The Instrument of
Surrender]
Pleasant banter with Kana at
Donburi this afternoon
Travelling to Whistler soon,
she told me, for snowboarding
At Subway, Standard Bldg,
talking to Myle on the phone,
who was checking out the
jackets at Zara on Robson
