I had the opportunity to rewatch the anime of my youth - Galaxy Express 999 some months ago. Its troubling how things you hold dear out of memory can be somewhat destroyed by you re-approaching them later in life, but also surprisingly humbling how the very same things instead can prove to be even more important to you than realized. For me GE 999 was the latter. And the impact was so great on me that simply I had to make something. A painting. A tribute to Leiji Matsumoto and his beautiful mind and art which is GE 999. The melancholic aura of the series personified by the mysterious Maetel destined to travel the universe forever on the interstellar Galaxy Express, where she meets and guides young men in life.As I was working away on the piece my sister went through a rough patch back home. Frustrated for not being able to be there for her my thoughts started to be more about her as I kept on working. And then it hit me. That one of the reasons why GE 999 always been so special to me was how much Maetel reminded me of my big sister when we were kids. The same long blond hair, the same warm-hearted nature, the same guidance. This painting was also for her. A tribute to my dear sister.
Its interesting how initial intentions sometimes can evolve into something else, even profounder, yet remain the same.
