Story of My Paintings

Keeping it Together 2024

Pastel 20×14 in

My husband was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer in January 2024. We were fortunate enough to receive the treatment and best care at Huntsman Cancer Institute at University of Utah in Salt Lake City. When he was in the treatment, I was not allowed to stay with him, so for the four hours I would go out to the trails behind the hospital. The first couple times were especially difficult; I didn’t know what to expect. My legs were shaky, my heart was beating fast, and I was at a loss as to what I should be feeling. This painting was of those times on the trail; hence the title, “Keeping it Together.” I was trying to, anyway.

This painting received an Honorable Mention at Dakota Art Pastels 4th Quarter Competition (2024) out of 650 entries. I’d never won anything that major. It became doubly special to me.

This is on display at my solo show “High Desert Colors” at Northwest Reno Library January 11 – February 23, 2025.

Over the Mountains 2023

pastel 25×25 in

I was watching a Youtube video of a pastel painting instruction by a renowned artist. She said the skies are not always blue, and in fact if you paint it blue, it will look like a night sky. I think about that every time I paint the sky.

In the high desert of Nevada, the sky is blue. Very blue. And I always run out of my blue sticks.

This is one of the paintings that look so much better in-person. The colors simmer in the way the photo can’t capture. This painting is currently in display in the front lobby of Wilbur D. May Museum in Reno, NV as a part of “Home Means Nevada” show by Latimer Art Club. The show ends August 31, 2023. I hope you have a chance to take a look.

Dusk 2023

pastel 12×9 in

Tamami Tokutake

More than ten years ago, when our son was still very young, we took a winter trip to Mendocino coast in Northern California. It was before the smartphone era, so although I’m sure we have photos from the trip, they are probably tucked away somewhere. Strangely, I have clear, vivid mental images from the trip. Funny how that works…

This painting is from one of those mental snapshots of the trip; it’s the edge of the Mendocino Botanical Garden. The wind was cold, but it was beautiful, and it was ethereal. I plan to go back there for a visit this year. I’m sure I’ll return with lots of iPhone photos to paint from. If you ever have a chance to visit, make sure to pick up some seeds from the plants they grow there…

This painting is currently on display at Artists Co-op Gallery of Reno in Reno NV.

A Day in Silver Springs 2022

pastel 12×9 in

Sold

Tamami Tokutake

I love plein air (painting “open air”); so much so that getting together with an outdoor painters’ club once a month was not enough. So one day in late summer, I ventured out alone, with the gear packed in my car. I wanted to see a body of water, not Tahoe, not Pyramid, but something else; so I chose a random blue spot on the map. Lahontan Reservoir.

Even with the help of GPS, I got lost twice, had to drive a length of unpaved road (making this ex-city person nervous), and the reservoir when I finally got there was… completely dry. Absolutely no one was around, completely silent, and it was eerie. I took some photos, but couldn’t be brave enough to paint there. Looking back, it feels like just an imagination.

Maybe someday I will go back there again, and this time I will take out my painting gear….

This painting is currently on display at Artists Co-op Gallery of Reno in Reno NV, and a larger version is at Coffeebar – Midtown (on Mt Rose St)

I will feature different paintings and their stories on this page. Please come back often.

The Other Side 2021

pastel 12×9 in

Sold

Tamami Tokutake

This is a red spider lily. These are wildflowers that bloom around the autumnal equinox in Japan. They are a symbol of the dead’s crossing over to the other side. In the fall, there are fields all over the countryside and graveyards where these bloom in mass, creating scarlet carpets. We are not supposed to take the flowers or walk into the field as it’s considered to be a bad omen. Incredibly beautiful and sinister at the same time.

The name of the flower in Japanese is 彼岸花 (higan-bana), meaning Flowers of the Other Shore.

This painting was sold by Artists Co-op Gallery of Reno in Reno NV.

I will feature different paintings and their stories on this page. Please come back often.