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Painting and thinking
This morning I was feeling unsettled. American government is transforming into something unrecognisable as the democracy that I am comfortable with. The Constitution is being cherry-picked just like the Bible. Whatever supports the narrative is mentioned and everything else is ignored. Checks and balances of power in Articles I-III are out the door in favor…
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Camera roll
It’s time for some random photos of things around here over the past little few weeks. None are worthy of posts in themselves, but I’m hoping to keep the memories. First, some cats. Two new strays have been visiting. I think grey tabby is from next door, but “orange fluff” is a complete unknown. He…
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From branches to paint
[Apricot colors, part 2] Yesterday I reached one of my long-standing goals. I made paint from raw ingredients. Artists have been doing this since art started but I have mostly purchased supplies ready made. I love knowing how things are made from start-to-finish and making pigment from apricot branches, then binding the pigment into a…
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Community Center Festival
This weekend was the Kamogawa Kominkan Matsuri, a gathering of all the clubs, circles, and hobby groups that meet at the city’s community centers. Each showed off their activities at the city gymnasium. It was like the craft hall of a county fair. There are so many interesting hobby clubs in this town. Who knew?…
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Camera Roll
A roundup of little things I’ve observed in the past few weeks – none big enough for their own feature, but worth remembering anyway. Over at Oyama Senmaida, school experiences are back in full swing and I’ve been busy with papermaking and straw craft, but that’s not all. I suggested rearranging things at Gonbei, and…
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Overwhelmingly Messy Studio
Sometimes, I put myself in a situation where I am paralysed by my own diverse interests. Take the studio (please!) as a good example. This table contains a lot of projects in progress to the point where I have piled them up to get the out of the way of other things and then piles…
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Hand Meditations
For the FEWture Conference in June, I presented a thematic drawing mediation activity around hands. When my friend came over this weekend, she paged through the sample book I’d prepared and thought it looks interesting, so we drew some hand meditations at the dining room table. Drawing Meditations can take many forms, but the basic…
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Paper sculptures
Allow me to introduce you to three pieces of art that I have worked on recently. “Love Letter” is an assemblage made with hand-formed paper, milled card stock, copper wire, cotton thread, wood beads, cedar board, red iron oxide, watercolor, and ink. I immediately recognised the initial form of the handmade paper as an envelope…
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New circles
After building 555, I wasn’t sure what my next big project would be. Well, it has turned into a fluster of expanding my circle of acquaintances and activities. I am making time to get to know the neighbors, build rapport, find support, be a useful member of the community, and ensure my life is not…
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One painting, three works
I sat down to paint an abstract self portrait yesterday and ended up with three artworks for the price of one. My plan was to paint on canvas using a technique I’d seen recently. I knew I wanted the end result to have a woven effect and lots of color, but I didn’t have a…
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