The Floating World paintings were made after time spent in Kyoto and Nara in Japan during the winter of 2009. The series included the first of my black framed Cabinet Paintings. Cabinet painting is a term given to highly finished small works dating back to the 15th Century in the west. The series of small paintings, all oil on panel, were framed under museum glass in deep matt black box frames, echoing the minimalist simplicity of Japanese carpentry and lacquer work.