表裏一体 (19x38) HYORI ITTAI (two sides of the same coin). This painting of a camellia bush was originally on a very old Japanese frame/paper. Every time I touched it, or a breeze caught its frail paper, a piece of it would fall off onto the floor. This drove me crazy as I was literally watching my painting disintegrate. I decided to incorporate this process into the meaning of the painting by painting a Samurai sword slicing into it. Life and death are inseparable. Another interesting point, at least in my opinion, is the manner in which Camellia flowers die. Rather than slowly losing their petals one by one, the entire flower just falls off, similar to a head being decapitated. This is called "kubi-kiri" in Japanese, or neck cut.
