.... when he first saw her - dressed then, as now, in white shirt and grey monpe - he had wanted to paint her. Not paint a portrait of her, he added quickly. But the striking contrast she formed with the lush green of the Kagawas' well-tended garden across which she had walked towards him ten months ago made him wish for buckets of thick, vibrant paint to pour on to her, waterfalls of colour cascading from her shoulders (rivers of blue down her shirt, pools of orange at her feet, emerald and ruby rivulets intersecting along her arms).
Excerpt from Burnt Shadows by Kamila Shamsie, a historical story charged with beauty and emotion.
Monpe - Japanese clothing, simple pants usually worn by fieldworkers or tradesmen.
Painting - Rainbow Girl, archive life work.
View my recent collection of coastal paintings on www.melaniemcdonald.com
