Starry Starry Light

Every year, when the first cherry blossom is all over the city, I feel a little anxious – I worry that I won’t be able to admire the beauty before it’s gone.

In Japan, cherry blossom is a symbol of the fragility of life and the purity of the soul. I have always wanted to paint it. There were some cherry blossoms in Oh My Guanyin, but I have never made it the centrepiece of a painting.

I wanted to do it well, so I thought about different techniques. Maybe I could combine with the Chinese ink painting style, or adding some butterflies to give it romance? But it all felt a bit too much. Simpler is better. I decided to simply paint the branches with the blooming cherry flower petals.

When you look closely at a cherry flower, you will make a very fascinating discovery: Inside every flower is a shiny star! No, I’m not speaking poetically. The petals have hues of white and pink, but inside, the stem at the heart of the flower is yellow and forms the shape of a star.

From the distance, I think this looks almost like an abstract painting, but when you come close, you see all the little flowers with their bright, energetic yellow stars.

This painting is something to keep after the cherry blossom season is over. Life is fragile and the soul is pure but the joy can remain.

Something a bit old, but the ideas are still new