Skulls for Sakura

Day of the Dead meets the Cherry Blossom... and pink lots of pink.

So I wanted to incorporate a cherry blossom into this DoD bust because it seemed like such an interesting flower to me.

Its a pretty big symbol in Japanese culture. White blossoms are often compared to clouds in the sky. Pink blossoms are often thought to symbolize drops of blood sacrificed by the samurai who were losing there way of life and disappearing while Japan was modernizing itself. And seeing as the blossoms only last a few weeks, they are often associated with mortality among the cycle of seasons or nature in general.

So of course I sneaked in a few Japanese symbols for cherry blossom "sakura" on her shoulder, and the symbol for death I painted on her forehead. Also the not so subtle dragon wrapped around her arm, because I always wanted to paint a pink dragon.

18x24 acrylic on canvas