Mark Kadota

artist

Memento Mori
One Sprinkles the Most Sugar Where the Tart is Burnt
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God Gives Birds Their Food, But They Must Fly For It
Better Once in Heaven Than Ten Times at the Gate
Ready Money is the Best of Religions
Time Gained, Much Gained
Handsome Apples are Sometimes Sour
There is a Fool at Every Feast
The Almanac and the Newspaper Spread Lies into the Country
Hunger Eats Through Stone Walls
Caution is the Parent of Delicate Beer Glasses
Teachers Die, But Books Live On
Do Not Pick the Apples Before They Are Ripe
No Sweet Without Sour
Silence
A Heart in Love is a Thirsty One
Soon Ripe, Soon Rotten; Soon Wise, Soon Foolish
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Smoke
God Gives Birds Their Food, But They Must Fly For It
Beauty Is Less What One Sees, Than What One Dreams
One Cannot Live From the Dew of Heaven

"Remembering our mortality follows us in everything we do. What lives beyond us is our good and bad deeds."

This series of oil on canvas paintings, Memento Mori, were inspired by the Dutch still life paintings. I decided to update these symbolic paintings. I realized that the main theme of these older paintings was "Memento Mori" or remembering one's mortality. I feel that this theme is so relevant to our contemporary life style. Our technology seems to have such a short life span. I felt it was a perfect metaphor for our own mortality, as well, as an observation of our modern lifestyles.

The titles of these paintings are traditional Dutch proverbs. They seem to take on new meanings in our present world. All these paintings were created in 2000-2001.
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