This was one winter at our relatives’ farmhouse in Furano, during one of their many heavy snowfalls. From sledding down the slopes of the field to building snowmen (including a ginormous anpanman and doraemon), we would spend countless hours playing in this snowy paradise. One day, my uncle drove his tractor around the field shoveling mounds of snow for us and block by block...we built our very first igloo! My cousin, my brother, and I carefully arranged ourselves inside our mini ice cave as we sat bundled up and happily eating our steaming cups of instant noodles. I’m grateful for special memories like this that help me reconnect to a place that has grown distant over the years but remains a soft place in my heart.
北の国 “Kita no Kuni” (Northern Country), 20”x18”, mixed media, acrylic on canvas and digital illustration