Jason Kelly and I met some fifteen years ago. We lived in Colorado at the time and although we both moved away, we have stayed in contact. Jason has lived for the past two years in Japan. He had invited me to come and visit on a number of occasions, so it seemed very appropriate to make Sano-shi the first stop on my painting adventure.

Jason writes both fiction and financial books (you can see his website here.) Over the years, we have had many fascinating conversations about the parallels between the creative process of writing and painting.

While I was in Sano-shi, Jason introduced me to his circle of friends, taught me some Japanese, showed me around many sights and made me welcome in his apartment. It was a fabulous visit.

Toward the end of time there, we decided the time was right for me to paint his portrait. Over several days, Jason posed and I painted. As is often the case, I find a monochromatic can convey as much, if not more, than a full color painting:

Many thanks to Jason, and every one of his friends there, who made my journey to Japan a very personal and insightful one.

Next: Hong Kong and the Paintings of Yang Shen-sum