Hompa Hongwanji Buddhist Temple in Little Tokyo

6"x4" oil on raymar panel. • The above is a study to see if this could possibly work as a larger painting. I have always wanted to paint this unique member of downtown Los Angeles history. It hasn't been an active temple for quite some time and actually did a stint as the home of the Japanese American National Museum. Now, it sits across a square from the current modern museum, hitting you with its lonely stare. The facade is at once exciting and boring; a good challenge for a painter to bring who they are as an artist to the subject. Me? I felt like the dang thing was flipping me the bird—in its quiet buddhist way—challenging me to paint it, so I spackled it. The little one seemed to work out well enough, so I went ahead and painted a larger version. If I don't kill my evil camera in the process of taking the photo, I will torment you with an image tomorrow.
Posted November 27, 2012