In Celebration of Ocean Day

I was intrigued and excited to discover a new (since I've been there) holiday in Japan called "Marine Appreciation Day" or more recently 海の日(Ocean Day). When I lived in Japan (1960-1979), the ocean was quite polluted.  I got to go scuba diving off the Shizuoka beach where it was just cluttered with sunken trash: tires, bicycles, etc.  Really disgusting.  Later, we went scuba diving off the Izu Pennisula which was much better.  But in general, there seemed to be no appreciation of preserving the ocean.  

  Hopefully, that has changed.

I challenged myself to paint 7 etegami in honor of Ocean Day over a 7 day period.  There were so many creatures to choose from!  

Angelfish

のんびり（Nombiri) means relax, just take it easy

And certainly Jacques Cousteau was trapped in it's net of wonder

Sing ray

It always looks like the sting ray is laughing from below.

 That's not even his mouth and eyes but sure looks like it!

This reminded of the Jimmy Durante song..

Nautilus

The nautilus was quite a challenge to paint.   When I was trying to find words to add, I came across a poem by Oliver Wendall Holmes called "The Chambered Nautilus".  This is not the whole poem and you can read the whole thing at the end of this blog. Etegami has led me back to literature and poetry.
  I had forgotten how wonderful some of the old poetry is. Quite delicious!

octopus

I've always loved Ogden Nash and this quote is one of my favorites. I found a photo of an octopus where his tentacles are all a-tangled making one wonder: 

Is those things arms or is they legs?

manta ray

I was looking for a quote that compared manta rays to a soaring bird and came across this wonderful poem by Michael Ault.
I could not fit the whole poem on the postcard so here it is:

Soaring on wings that cannot fly

scouring the sand for life

drifting over beds where treasures lie

living below the worldly strife

The gentle undulation of sturdy wings

in grace beyond mere mortals

the joy of spirit within sings

with this glimpse of other portals

With colors of grey, or blue or green

the angels of the deep

glide stately by when they are seen

giving memories to keep

Kissing fish

And ending with a little humor.  This is what kissing fish look like and this is what kissing fish do.  It's incredibly cute and funny.  Maybe a nice Valentine's Day card???

Finally, Happy Ocean Day!!!

Oliver Wendell Holmes (1809–1894) The Chambered Nautilus

THIS is the ship of pearl, which, poets feign,         Sails the unshadowed main,—         The venturous bark that flings     On the sweet summer wind its purpled wings     In gulfs enchanted, where the siren sings,         5         And coral reefs lie bare, Where the cold sea-maids rise to sun their streaming hair.     Its webs of living gauze no more unfurl;         Wrecked is the ship of pearl!         And every chambered cell,         10     Where its dim dreaming life was wont to dwell,         As the frail tenant shaped his growing shell,         Before thee lies revealed,— Its irised ceiling rent, its sunless crypt unsealed!     Year after year beheld the silent toil         15         That spread his lustrous coil;         Still, as the spiral grew,     He left the past year’s dwelling for the new,         Stole with soft step its shining archway through,         Built up its idle door,         20 Stretched in his last-found home, and knew the old no more.     Thanks for the heavenly message brought by thee,         Child of the wandering sea,         Cast from her lap, forlorn!     From thy dead lips a clearer note is born         25         Than ever Triton blew from wreathèd horn!         While on mine ear it rings, Through the deep caves of thought I hear a voice that sings:—     Build thee more stately mansions, O my soul,         As the swift seasons roll!         30         Leave thy low-vaulted past!     Let each new temple, nobler than the last,         Shut thee from heaven with a dome more vast,         Till thou at length art free, Leaving thine outgrown shell by life’s unresting sea!

Oliver Wendell Holmes (1809–1894)
The Chambered Nautilus

THIS is the ship of pearl, which, poets feign,
Sails the unshadowed main,—
The venturous bark that flings
On the sweet summer wind its purpled wings
In gulfs enchanted, where the siren sings,	5
And coral reefs lie bare,
Where the cold sea-maids rise to sun their streaming hair.
Its webs of living gauze no more unfurl;
Wrecked is the ship of pearl!
And every chambered cell,	10
Where its dim dreaming life was wont to dwell,
As the frail tenant shaped his growing shell,
Before thee lies revealed,—
Its irised ceiling rent, its sunless crypt unsealed!
Year after year beheld the silent toil	15
That spread his lustrous coil;
Still, as the spiral grew,
He left the past year’s dwelling for the new,
Stole with soft step its shining archway through,
Built up its idle door,	20
Stretched in his last-found home, and knew the old no more.
Thanks for the heavenly message brought by thee,
Child of the wandering sea,
Cast from her lap, forlorn!
From thy dead lips a clearer note is born	25
Than ever Triton blew from wreathèd horn!
While on mine ear it rings,
Through the deep caves of thought I hear a voice that sings:—
Build thee more stately mansions, O my soul,
As the swift seasons roll!	30
Leave thy low-vaulted past!
Let each new temple, nobler than the last,
Shut thee from heaven with a dome more vast,
Till thou at length art free,
Leaving thine outgrown shell by life’s unresting sea!

    THIS is the ship of pearl, which, poets feign,

        Sails the unshadowed main,—

        The venturous bark that flings

    On the sweet summer wind its purpled wings

    In gulfs enchanted, where the siren sings,

        5

        And coral reefs lie bare,

Where the cold sea-maids rise to sun their streaming hair.

    Its webs of living gauze no more unfurl;

        Wrecked is the ship of pearl!

        And every chambered cell,

        10

    Where its dim dreaming life was wont to dwell,

        As the frail tenant shaped his growing shell,

        Before thee lies revealed,—

Its irised ceiling rent, its sunless crypt unsealed!

    Year after year beheld the silent toil

        15

        That spread his lustrous coil;

        Still, as the spiral grew,

    He left the past year’s dwelling for the new,

        Stole with soft step its shining archway through,

        Built up its idle door,

        20

Stretched in his last-found home, and knew the old no more.

    Thanks for the heavenly message brought by thee,

        Child of the wandering sea,

        Cast from her lap, forlorn!

    From thy dead lips a clearer note is born

        25

        Than ever Triton blew from wreathèd horn!

        While on mine ear it rings,

Through the deep caves of thought I hear a voice that sings:—

    Build thee more stately mansions, O my soul,

        As the swift seasons roll!

        30

        Leave thy low-vaulted past!

    Let each new temple, nobler than the last,

        Shut thee from heaven with a dome more vast,

        Till thou at length art free,

Leaving thine outgrown shell by life’s unresting sea!