Javanese Mysticism

I just finished a new small painting of an imagined scene of the Sultan of Yogyakarta meditating at the circular mosque at Taman Sari. Now Taman Sari is a ruin among small houses built within the Kraton. But during the centuries past, it was the pleasure garden of the Sultans and it means water castle. The circular mosque is very spectacular recently renovated. I've already painted several paintings based on the architecture of Taman Sari. The latest one is the raised platform on top of the well. Meditation was said being down by the Sultans under the moonlight. For the robe of the figure, I wanted to depict a well made Prada Batik (gold leafed handmade batik). Nowadays, it is very difficult to find this.

rain and more rain

Vancouver is in rain again and again.
But my flowers are indoor starting to open. Rivea corymbosa from the Mexican highland is starting to open with white morning glory flowers. Speaking of morning glory, Ipomoea orchacea is opening too with yellow flowers. Otherwise nothing really interesting other than Murasaki Shikibu plant with mauve berries outdoor now, and the Akebia purple fruits had been consummed by hungry birds already.
This is an image of fruits of Phytocrene sp. in the Phillippines, it is quite different from P. macrophylla from Bogor.

batik parangtritis

Here is the front of the new batik design. This is the dramatization of adventure to Cave Langse near Parangtritis Beach of Yogyakarta. I think it is a simplier batik design, so I will select a cotton that has a weaved pattern, so the surface will be richer.

a peek at my new art

This is the first look at Batik Parangtritis and also my botanical illustration of Phytocrene macrophylla. Still needs lots of work...

Phytocrene seedlings

Now I have 5 plants of Phytocrene macrophylla that originated from Bogor. The seeds have very short viability, approximately of less than 2 weeks in tropical condition once ripe and out of the fruit. The plant is totally covered by short stinking hairs which are white to golden. The leaves of these young plants are the size of my hand, but from herbarium specimen, the size of leaves of mature vine can be very very big. I hope they will be fine indoor overwinter. It will be difficult in Vancouver as it is cloudy all the time without sun.

continue painting

It is rain and wind in Vancouver for more than a few days now. Fall is here with typical fall weather which is more rain and wind. On a sunny day, if ever we have one coming up, I have to prune my tall Paulownia tree and the aristolochia tomentosa vine and Akebia trifoliata that are tangling up on it.
I am working on my botanical illustration of Phytocrene macrophylla and started another batik design shirt called Batik Parangtritis featuring the victim of Ratu Loro Kidul, the Queen of the Southern Sea. The front of the shirt has a young man climbing down to the Cave Langse, the back of the shirt is the same young man drown at the Parangritis Beach with the huge oncoming waves. He wore a light green swimwear, green being the favourite colour of the Queen.
When this work is done, I will post the design here and then work on the actual line drawing and then bring it to Java to have the workers do the batik, but I will go to Cave Langse to pray to the Queen to ask for permission first.
In the meantime, this is the beach.