As we gear up for the Kikai Camp in July some preparations are being made at ZenQuest. As part of that we have commissioned an artist to paint portraits of key Masters associated with the dojo. The artist is none other than ZenQuest's student Chalice Mitchel! She is Visual Arts Instructor at the Austen Riggs Center and freelance artist here in the Berkshires. Chalice also lived in Japan for about seven years and is conversational in Japanese.
Chalice recently completed the first portrait which is of Grandmaster Tsutomu Nakahodo (shown below.) Shihan Nakahodo is a 10th Degree Black Belt in Uechi-Ryu Karate and one of the most senior living masters of the art. Master Nakahodo is Sensei Connie’s and Mark’s primary teacher.
Our in-house artist will next do a portrait of Master Hirokuni Yamashiro. Sensei Yamashiro is a Hanshi, 9th Dan in Uechi and Sensei Connie’s and Mark’s secondary teacher. He has also been instrumental in helping them on their trips to Okinawa, and has visited the Berkshires and other parts of the U.S. several times.
Chalice is styling the new portraits to match those existing already in ZenQuest’s front training room. Eventually she will also do portraits of Grandmasters Higa and Takamiyagi who were the Flynn’s head instructors until their passing in 2022 and 2012 respectively.
Huge thanks to Chalice for her amazing work on these incredible additions to the Berkshires premier Karate dojo.
Chalice recently completed the first portrait which is of Grandmaster Tsutomu Nakahodo (shown below.) Shihan Nakahodo is a 10th Degree Black Belt in Uechi-Ryu Karate and one of the most senior living masters of the art. Master Nakahodo is Sensei Connie’s and Mark’s primary teacher.
Our in-house artist will next do a portrait of Master Hirokuni Yamashiro. Sensei Yamashiro is a Hanshi, 9th Dan in Uechi and Sensei Connie’s and Mark’s secondary teacher. He has also been instrumental in helping them on their trips to Okinawa, and has visited the Berkshires and other parts of the U.S. several times.
Chalice is styling the new portraits to match those existing already in ZenQuest’s front training room. Eventually she will also do portraits of Grandmasters Higa and Takamiyagi who were the Flynn’s head instructors until their passing in 2022 and 2012 respectively.
Huge thanks to Chalice for her amazing work on these incredible additions to the Berkshires premier Karate dojo.
RSS Feed