I read these words from Mayumi Oda, whose art I appreciate. She speaks at an exhibition from 2003 where she uses "the themes from old Japanese woodblock prints rooted in Japanese and Buddhist mythology and transforms the masculine folk tradition into a modern feminine view of the positive self."
"I made my goddesses to explore Japanese traditional design which is so free, extravagant and sometimes even wild," "My goddesses play in flowering fields of kimono brocade and swim in oceans of Hokusai waves. For me, painting goddesses is flying into space, and I am learning to fly through my own visual practice."
After the gallery opening, Mayumi Oda addressed a gathering at the Main Public Library on the subject of "breath."
She said, "Today, I will focus my thoughts to the breath. Breath is the art of being present. It's a real art to stay in breath. In Hawaii it is called Aloha. Ha is breath and Aloha means with breath and that means love and compassion. In your daily life, incorporate the breath."
It is sad to read the meaning of Aloha as we worry about the damage in Hawaii. Hopefully, soon, all will be okay there, as we all work even more to stay with our breath, and the love and compassion flowing there.
