heARTwork by Yuri
Thursday, June 9, 2022
summer fun!
Tuesday, March 8, 2022
international women's day celebrates Japanese war brides!
greetings heARTists and heART lovers everywhere!
it’s the 8th day of the 3rd month of the new year—time for more heARTwork by the incredible heARTist Yuri.
but wait. we have a surprise for you.
we’ve recently made the 5 “War Brides of Japan, a docu*memory” series available online again. you may have already known about Yuri’s life as a Japanese war bride. and now, you have the chance to learn about other women like her.
in “Herstory”, two historians discuss how these women ended up married to their former enemies.
https://watermelonsushi.gumroad.com/l/HERSTORY
historian Lily |
women like Asako-san, who married a white Marine, and Fumiko-san, who married a black soldier, are featured in “The Brides”. check it out to see how their lives differed.
https://watermelonsushi.gumroad.com/l/theBRIDES
Asako-san and Margie |
Diane, Fujiko-san and Myokei |
Joe, Yayoi and Roleta |
Joan, Elaine and Naomi |
Jean |
meanwhile, the kids in “The Culture”, talk about their mothers’ influences on them. M Fumie demonstrates origami and prepares several Japanese dishes. Diana talks about obon. and, Yoshi shows off her Japanese decor while preparing ramen.
https://watermelonsushi.gumroad.com/l/theCULTURE
M Fumie, Michelle and Steve |
Yayoi, Ed and Diana |
Yoshi |
“BFF’s; Buddhist Friends Forever” features three families with Buddhist beliefs, thanks to their mothers.
https://watermelonsushi.gumroad.com/l/BUDDHISTFRIENDSFOREVER
Mike, his wife, Doris, Alana and their cousin |
Doris and Cassie |
Kim, Cassie and Mr. Farrison |
you can stream the episode that most resonates with you, or you can stream all of them. watching all 5 will only cost you a total of $7.
meanwhile, we’re also in the process of creating a film and graphic novel about Yuri. they should be done by the end of this year.
please stay tuned at this blog where we’ll return on June 8 with more heARTwork by Yuri.
International Women's Day, omedettou gozaimasu!
Yuri’s Fans Forever
Wednesday, December 8, 2021
happy holiday heARTS
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welcome to the season |
this is the 8th day of the 12th month and time for more of Yuri’s amazing heARTwork.
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handmade wreaths by Yuri |
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Muffin barks holiday cheer |
in 2022, we’re going to be super busy working on another docu*memory—this time, one that is exclusively about Yuri’s life.
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Yuri painted Mr. Claus |
please join us for updates, likely, not available until summer.
meanwhile, we’ll set this blog on ‘pause’ while we work on our new film(s). (there’s also the Native Vegan doc sponsored by VeganFlix.)
you can also check out Yuri’s website for more glimpses of herARTwork.
have a safe and sane holiday season, but don’t forget to enjoy yourself, too!
omedettou gozaimasu!
Yuri’s Fans Forever
Wednesday, September 8, 2021
fall and heARTs are in the air!
it’s the 8th day of the 9th month and time to share more of Yuri’s incredible heARTwork.
say, can you sense the change in the air? surely, fall is about to arrive.
and with fall, comes bountiful harvests.
so here are some of Yuri’s paintings that represent produce. they're all painted on wood, too!
bamboo shoots are a delicious vegan food |
notice that the foods represented are all vegan. yep, we’re sneaking that plug in to let you know about our upcoming documentary about Indigenous cultures and their pre-colonization diets.
yellow onions, green onions and garlic |
carrots, jalapeños and green pepper |
below is a very ‘quick and dirty’ short video of our upcoming film.
arrigatou! to VeganFlix for giving us a grant to make our future documentary:
and, please check out Yuri’s website to see more of her heARTwork:
when we meet again, it will be chilly winter. please stay safe, and don’t forget that we are and will always be...
Yuri’s Fans Forever
Tuesday, June 8, 2021
summer heARTS with Yuri
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a tender song |
it’s the 8th day of the 6th month and time for more heARTwork by Yuri.
nothing says summer like birds, cats and flowers. so for this blog, we would like to share some of Yuri’s pantings featuring—what else, but birds, cats and flowers.
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the cawing of crows |
as for the cats, watch out! they may look cute and cuddly, but cats are awfully playful at times. look out for the little beasts' claws. me-ouch!
even though we have a few more days before summer is official, here’s hoping that you’re enjoying the blue skies no matter where you are in this world—unless, of course, you're experiencing winter where you live. in that case, we offer our condolences.
for more heARTwork by Yuri, please visit her website at:
meanwhile our ‘War Brides of Japan, a docu*memory’ series continues to win film festival awards. this is a 5-part documentary about Japanese war brides like Yuriko. for a time, the films were available on Vimeo, but we are now searching for another platform.
please check out our website for the latest: www.warbridesofjapan.com
until we meet again, happy summer and i will always be with you as one of…
Yuri’s Fans Forever
Monday, March 8, 2021
Yuriko's heARTwork contributions to international women's day
happy International Women’s Day to heARTists and heART lovers around the world!
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an old woman reflects on her life's past |
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a young woman reflects on her life to come |
even Empress Michiko designated the war brides as ‘cultural ambassadors’ for Japan.
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obon dancers by Yuriko |
besides their beliefs in Shinto and Buddhism, the brides also perpetuated obon (ancestral celebrations) with bon odori (obon dances), ikebana (flower arranging), sumi-e (calligraphy), and the introduction a variety of foods. everything—from sushi to tempura to sukiyaki—eventually became popular in US specialty restaurants.
war brides innocently brought their practices of Japanese culture to a country that had been so hostile towards Americans of Japanese descent that they had imprisoned them during WWII.
by naively clinging to their native beliefs and arts, war brides were able to keep aspects of Japanese culture alive while Japanese Americans had been forced to destroy many elements of it.
through her love for painting, Yuriko imparted messages of peace and hope. even though she preferred to paint landscapes and seascapes, she also created paintings that featured Japanese motifs as well purely American ones.
Yuriko's koi painting is very Japanese
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while her eagle woodcarving is totally American |
Yuriko won many prizes for her heARTwork |
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a Wordie by Jason |
also, you can stay updated about the 'War Brides of Japan, a docu*memory' series at our website: www.warbridesofjapan.com
until June 30, I will always remain one of...
Yuri’s Fans Forever
Tuesday, December 8, 2020
Bodhi day and heARTwork, nature-ly
it’s the 8th day of the 12th month, and time for more heARTwork by Yuri.
it’s also time to celebrate Bodhi Day!
like Buddha, Yuri was also born on April 8. and, they share a love for Nature.
the story of Buddha is that while he was still Prince Siddhartha, he sat under a Bodhi Tree for 7 days fasting and meditating. on the 8th day, he found enlightenment.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodhi_Day
we fans of Yuri would like to enlighten the world about her beautiful heARTwork. especially those pieces that reflect her love for nature.
meanwhile, here are some of Yuri's heARTwork reflecting both Nature and her connection to Buddha.
ps since WIX changed its software, Yuri’s paintings aren’t showing up on her website. Please give us a moment.
https://lenastarwheels.wixsite.com/iamartistyuriko
best new year's wishes, and we'll return on March 8 where we'll continue to be...
Yuri's Fans Forever