New Year

The New Year break has gone by in the blink of an eye.

again.

Japanese used to have a way to celebrate the new year.  It was the most important time of the year. And the most important thing a person could do was... nothing.  Sit quietly, eat a little food that was already made so that no one would have to be working in the kitchen.  Maybe later, put on your new kimono, visit a friend, or the local shrine.  It was a supremely quiet time.  No one driving.  No one hurrying around.  No stores open, of course.

New Year was that "ma," that quiet time in the Japanese, type A, frenetic year.  A pause. A space.

I have been here.  I have watched Japan loose its quiet space, watched it disappear from the paintings, from the music, from the films, and from the New Year.

It's  like a punchline in a new haiku - "Where did nothing go?"

New Year

Cleaned my studio for the new year. 
Now I'm getting ready to paint 29 meters of dragons on a 2 1/2 meter room.  I wonder what will happen.

New Year Cleaning

 I cleaned my studio down to the tatami.

I have to paint 50 meters of dragon.  It is part of my plan for my  Exhibition at the Nakanosawa museum April - June 2013. 

 

The dragons are to go along with my 29 Stops of the Yamanote paintings.  I needed every inch of the tatami to attempt it, and still I will only be able to work on 2 1/2 meters at a time.

 

I picked up materials.  Wish me luck.

Tokyo Geidai Doctoral Exhibition

I did not always agree with Ikuo Hirayama, but he was correct in his opposition to offering a Ph.D. in studio art. Having a Ph.D. in studio art is kind of like having, "Moron," tattooed on one's forehead.
For evidence proving the inverse relation between art and higher education, check out this year's Doctoral Exhibition at Tokyo Geidai, in the far edge of Ueno Park.

Barbecue Pit Firing

Adam and Eve about to face the fire

My third burn in the garden

I am better understanding how to do it, and using better materials.  The first time I did this I used old test papers from my university students as fuel.  Now I am using pure Iwate charcoal.  And I am starting more slowly, warming the oven in my hori kotatsu for 2 days before burning (Reminding children not to kick it.)  My first burn I had breakage.  this time I did not.

 

I enlarged the holes in the bottom of the can, and I added wood shaving at the top of everything inside the can, and piled bricks on top of it for extra insulation.

 

 

 

The results are better.  Nothing shattered in the burn, and there is a lot less smoke and flames with charcoal to frighten the neighbors. The fire is smoother, hotter too.

 

first opening the can the next day

 results

 

now to clean and maybe do some post fire work

 

Museum in the Mountains

I traveled deep into the hills of northwest Gunma, on a train line I had never been on before.  There is a wonderful little Museum up there, an NPO.  It is in a 5 sided building back in the woods. 

Fair trade goods in the giftshop, kind husband and wife that set the place up.  They have invited me to exhibit my paintings next April.  It sounds like a lot of fun.

Play

 

 

Transiting time after an exhibition, still plenty of teaching schedule, but having fun in between with clay. 

wet clay