Painting
Waiting in the Shadows
acrylic on canvas, 50 x 60 cm
2023
It was May, and Fukuoka was basking in the warmth of a sunny day, though the sky hinted at the possibility of rain. I was ambling along the sidewalk, caught in that liminal moment when you’re waiting for the light to change, caught between movement and stillness. The city hummed around me, a familiar rhythm of bustling life.
In the midst of this everyday scene, I noticed a man standing in the shadow of a nearby building, waiting for his turn to cross the street. He seemed almost like a quiet observer, his presence understated yet profoundly poignant. His stillness contrasted with the flurry of activity around him, as though he were a solitary note in a symphony of urban noise.
There was something strangely comforting about this simple moment. It felt as though time itself had paused just for a breath, allowing us both to inhabit the space between steps, the pause before the next move. In that brief intersection of our paths, there was a subtle connection—a shared experience of waiting, of anticipating what comes next.
This scene, so ordinary in its appearance, held a quiet warmth. It was a reminder of how even in the simplest moments, there’s a depth that can resonate profoundly. The man in the shadow, the sun, the hint of rain—they all came together to form a fleeting but meaningful tableau, a glimpse into the soft, unnoticed corners of life.