Koi are nature’s foray in abstract art. Painting koi is strange, as it feels like making a copy of a painting, not a fish. The uncomparable and random patterns and colors do not occur naturally however. One thousand years ago, breeders in China and Japan transformed the lowly carp into the kaleidoscopic varieties of koi that we have today. Selective breeding gave rise first to red carp, then to blue Asagi and white, red, and yellow Bekkou.

I grew up across the road from Hakone Estate, one of the finest Japanese gardens in California. In addition to having a large koi pond, there is also a bamboo grove and a building called the Moon Viewing House, which to a young child, made absolutely no sense to me. But I loved going there as often as possible, and I must have felt at home there, decades  before Japanese art would have a strong impact on me.

Fun fact #1: The Japanese word for brocade (woven silk) is nishiki (錦), and the word for Koi is nishikigoi (錦鯉), literally “brocaded carp.” Fashion is very integral to Japanese culture.

Fun fact #2: In Japanese, “koi” is a homophone for 恋, another word that means “affection” or “love”, which is why koi are symbols of love and friendship.