A monkey on the rock / Camellia

When I was young, I often went to sketch at the river around Kumakogen Town. Numbers of huge rocks were around the river and I enjoyed spending time sketching them. I used to lay down on the rock for a break. I loved to let my body fit the rock surface and take a nap.
After years passed, there was one summer when I returned home to Ehime. I hanged out with my children to the local river. Inspired by the children playing on the rock, or maybe flash back of my own memory, image of a monkey came down.
A monkey on the rock with the moon. I painted this camellia tree several times and the specific work above is held in the Museum of Art, Ehime. However, I want to inform you about the museum which possesses another version of this camellia I painted.
The museum is in Hokkaido, and is called Oketo Poppo Art Gallery, known as "donor's gallery".
Beginning of this museum was a newspaper article by a painter. It was written that there are so many excellent works by unknown painters, and it is a pity that those works are getting buried without being noticed. The building is a renovated station building of the abandoned railway and all the exhibits are donated works which makes this museum so special.
It would be a good example that a wonderful museum can be founded under cooperation of artists and officials without spending huge money to collect famous arts.