Water painting

Mrs. Chandler created many water paintings for her books, including Hakata dolls, daily life, and the culture she saw during her stay. In addition, she also painted a lot of the flower arrangements she created in the hope of introducing different cultures more vividly and understandably to local children when she opened the museum in Texas in the future.

Miniature garden scene with a stone pagoda, red and green foliage, and a small stream.

Miniature scenic floral art

This painting is based on her miniature scenic floral art inspired by a Haiku poem by Kawahigashi Hekigoto. 

The crimson carpet
Scattered with maple leaves where no one stepped, 
My garden path is better left unswept. 
-Hekigodo-

Traditional Japanese room with floral arrangement in a blue teapot vase and a hanging scroll with calligraphy.

Modern Rikka

She painted her flower arrangement created in 1948 under the Ikenobo teacher, Mr. Kokurio. This arrangement is set in the old Ikenobo college's tokonoma alcove in the tea room.

Painting of a vase with green leaves and yellow flowers on a wooden pedestal against a light blue background.

Nageire

Title: A samurai's delight 
Magnolia leaves, a white chrysanthemum classically graces the old Chinese inlaid bronze nageire vase. The table is black lacquer with an inlaid pearl design. A touch of oriental adds exquisite beauty to an occidental room. 

A dark vase with yellow chrysanthemum flowers and a scroll painting on a red background.

Nageire

Title: Reaching to heaven
Philodendron branches stripped of all leaves to the tips make very pretty line material as in this nageire arrangement. Five yellow chrysanthemums form to body or mass of this arrangement. The vase is an old bronze on a teak-wood stand. 

Kabuki performer in traditional attire on a wooden stage with a detailed background.

Kabuki

She studied various performing arts in Japan, such as Kabuki and Noh. This picture is one of the popular Kabuki stories, Shibaraku, which literally means "just a moment." This character depicts a superhero with an elaborate costume and makeup. This is one of her Hakata doll collections, and she painted it with the background.

A person in traditional costume performing a dance with a fan, set against a backdrop of a stylized tree.

Noh

Noh play is one of the oldest classical stage art, with its distinctive music and dance. The stage setting is very simple, usually, there is only one large pine tree painted at the back of the stage. The actors wear very elaborate costumes and the main actors usually wear masks. This is one of her Hakata doll collections, and she painted it with the background.

Traditional Japanese dancer in a floral kimono with a backdrop of sliding panels featuring flowers and mountains.

Yaegaki Hime (princess)

Princess Yaegaki is the popular heroin of Kabuki performance and other Japanese performing arts. She is a daughter of a feudal load during the warring state in Japan. She is dancing with the helmet of possessing mysterious power on her hand in this scene. This is one of her Hakata doll collections, and she painted it with the background.

Drawing of a central seated figure on a lotus, atop three elephants.

Fugen Bosatsu

Fugen Bosastu, or Fugen Bodhisattva, symbolizes all virtues, universal goodness, and worthiness of Buddhism. Usually, the image is riding on sacred white elephants, and is put aside the "Shaka Nyorai" with "Monju Bosatsu." 

People working in a rice paddy with mountains in the background. Two men stand conversing in the foreground.

Rice planting

During her stay in Japan, she painted many local people living in rural areas. 
Rice is a staple food in Japan, but rice planting is a hard, back-breaking job. She tried to depict the real daily life of farmers along with stories. 

Children in blue attire participate in a Japanese festival carrying a decorated portable shrine.

Festival and Mikoshi (portable shrine)

In Japan, every town has its patron god and people carry the spirit of their deity in its Mikoshi, or portable shrine, and parade the streets of the town or around the shrine. This picture depicts the parade in front of Dazaifu Shrine, Kyushu. 

Illustration of a Japanese room with people sleeping under blankets, a Christmas tree, a shrine, and Santa Claus peeking from a sliding door.

Christmas in Japan

Due to the many people in Christian countries coming to Japan, Christmas is now observed, not as a religious holiday but as a festive one. 
Children wait for Santa Clause, not to come down a chimney but through the sliding door.

Prev Next