I painted this piece when my daughter went off to college. As the baby leaves the nest and goes out into the big ocean, her single mama will be swimming deep and steady in the same ocean — we will be apart but together, living in a larger community with other fish, and therefore never alone. 

Nihonga is a painting technique from the 16th century that uses pulverized minerals, shells, dirt, and hide glue on hemp-mulberry paper. It is a slow art of layering the mineral pigments and surrendering my control. The finished paintings are refractive and prismatic. 

See #ayakaNihonga #ayakaOcean on Instagram for photos from my painting process!