2008-2009 mixed media painting

Kimono. What comes to mind? A loose, neck-baring robe worn by a painted geisha? A slippery satin robe with a tiger embroidered on the back? An erotic piece of clothing waiting to be untied? Actually the formal kimono is not loose or slippery. For a woman it consists of two or more layers of clothing bound tightly to the body by wide and narrow sashes. A man wears his kimono with sashes or inside baggy pants held together with wrap-around ties. The kimono transforms the wearer by its very nature --gorgeous, costly fabric, the complicated ritual of layering and tying, its tight discomfort and restrictions on physical movement. The garment connects the wearer to Japan's historical past and infuses a sense of formality, ritual and ceremony.