Great art always has something to it. That ‘something’ is what I found in Kurata Kasuga’s paintings, which I got to see during a high school trip to the Nikka Museum. The way he created light using different color mixtures made even the images of rocks and trees seem divine. Tears came to my eyes. I never knew why.

     That was ten years ago.

      As my writing career took a downturn, I decided to visit him. A part of me was looking for something to rekindle my old enthusiasm for creativity.

       “My wife and I run a bed and breakfast,” he said. “It’s the rainy season now, so we don’t have any hikers staying. If you are alright with simple accommodations, then we would be happy to have you.”

       I was a little surprised to find a famous artist like him living a humble life, running a bed and breakfast with his wife near Mt. Tarumae. They were kind to me, and after a week of staying with them, I felt a peace I hadn’t felt in so long. “Back in school, I wanted to become an artist,” I told him one day while watching him work. “But I don’t have any talent, so I became an author instead. It’s simpler to use words to paint images in my head and turn them into stories.”

       “Do you enjoy your work?”

      I nodded.

       “Then you’ll be fine,” he said. “If you love your work, then whatever trouble you have now will soon go away.”

      In time, his painting took shape. It portrayed a sky as rain passed, with different tones of blue depicting that harmonious transition. Warm tears streamed down my face, and they wouldn’t stop.