a few nice things

The orchid that I placed in the window near my desk is blooming. I am fascinated by the interior pattern and layers of soft, translucent petals. Sometimes I find the center exquisite and other times it looks like some kind of futuristic symbol. Am also wondering how all that flower fits inside that tiny pod?

At the beach there was a giant driftwood log on the sand. It looked as though it had been there a long time. It looks like part of a large redwood, so as a living tree it could have lived nearby. I love the rough texture and wish I could mimic it in clay but I probably lack the skill and patience.

And at home, these two young doves sat on my fence for hours and let us approach them very closely. We were surprised they did not fly away. Sometimes they cocked their heads at us, and other times they rounded their feathers and sat, puffed up, as if they had no necks at all. Even though they have plain coloring, I really like their neutral tones and sweet shape.

Speaking of sweet, my bunny is weathering the hot summer days by spreading out flat in the cool dirt. She's also become a bit naughty and refuses to go in her cage at night, but we love her anyway.

Hope you are also enjoying your summer days (and nights)! I'll soon share some sketches and crafts that I've been working on lately.

xo kimi

thinking of japan

An acrylic color palette experiment. I was thinking of the Miyajima torii and the Shinto ideas of respect for each other, all life, our ancestors, and natural forces.

On Thursday night, I intended to do some painting after getting home from judo practice. I needed to work out some ideas for a large painting that a friend requested, and I wanted to start making smaller paintings with different ideas to see what she liked most. But my plans were interrupted by news of the devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

Once I heard the news, I did not feel like painting anymore. I sat glued to the television and twitter to learn what areas were affected and to check on friends. I suppose I am lucky that everyone I know is safe. Some have been inconvenienced, but they are alive and well. Many live far enough south as to not be physically affected.

I grew up in California, so I am used to earthquakes. The biggest ones I have been in were strong enough to collapse buildings, overpasses and pieces of bridge. The shaking was severe in each one but I was never personally in any real danger. Some lives were lost, but the most I lost was electricity. In the Bay Area, I helped answer emergency phones at a radio station and prayed for people trapped in a collapsed freeway structure. In L.A., I helped return books to library shelves that all fell to the floor. There, I was shocked to drive by a three-story building that lost one wall. We could look straight in to all the homes as though it were a dollhouse.

I saw a video someone took from inside the Sendai airport, looking out of huge windows to the parking lot outside. People are gathered at three different story levels, watching the waves come rolling in. The waters pick up cars and shove them all along, floating past the windows. If I had been watching without sound, I might have remained more composed, but I heard the people shouting a familiar expression, "A-ra-ra-ra-ra!" ~ the same exclamation I heard as a kid for much lesser dangers, such as a flower pot getting knocked over or a nezumi hanabi (whirling sparkler) getting lit and chasing our feet. Hearing the expression again, for such a terrible calamity, nearly broke my heart.

The Japan earthquake is on a whole different level than anything I've experienced. The tsunami floods washing everything away make a double disaster. I am also truly hoping that the Fukushima power plants do not leak or cause further harm to a population already reeling from quake, flood and fires.

Both my home and workplace are pretty much right on top of several fault lines and there's a nuclear lab over the hill in Livermore. Perhaps it's because I know that this could just as easily have occurred here that I feel so gripped by this event. We try to be prepared, but Mother Nature is very powerful. In such a case, I hope we would have the resilience and strength the Japanese people have already shown.

I feel powerless to help in any substantial way from across the ocean. About all I can do is donate to the Red Cross and offer my encouragement to the survivors and deepest sympathy to those who were lost in this natural disaster.　がんばって ください。



 xo

Update: Providing some links for donations to Japan relief...

Red Cross
Salvation Army
Give2Asia ~ Artists Help Japan
Doctors Without Borders
Oxfam
Care

sketchbook project progress ~ {part 3}

I've been a bit shy about my sketchbook, mostly because of my very slow progress, but thought it was time to share a couple pages again. Not all of them are finished, but that's how my sketchbook really is. Quite unfinished!

First, a "musings" page where I've sketched my worries and doubts... I keep coming back to this one as they occur.

The beginning of a story...

and some outlines of its continuation.

I have so many ideas in my head but so little time to sit down and work on them. Trying not to be nervous although there is much to accomplish before the January deadline!

I will definitely have to buckle down once all this holiday get-together, big-dinner, gift-giving fun time has passed. Happy arty holidays to all!

emotion sketch ~ {sorrow}

I suppose I am fortunate in my life not to feel sorrowful very often.  Sadness is so overwhelming.  With full sorrow and grief, it seems that everything closes down to wrap around the pain of sadness and the outside world becomes faded and unreal.  For this reason, while painting this character, I let the features and background all blend together.

Later, playing with the image digitally, I darkened the colors overall.  The deeper tone suggested a moodier, deeper sorrow to me. 

Then I realized that in some states of grief, as a sense of apathy creeps in, there might not be much color at all.  So I tried one more, taking out the painful reds and muting the colors further.  I liked the way this one suggests darkness all around ~ reminding me that a true state of sorrow doesn't usually have room for light and hope.

It would be interesting to sketch the landscape around each of these degrees of sadness and find out what was happening to cause such a sad feeling. 

remember peace

Visiting the Hiroshima Peace Park and museum as a child, I saw the suffering caused by the atomic bomb and couldn't understand the volume of nuclear weapons still on the planet.   Draped over the statue for Sadako were thousands of folded paper cranes in bright colors, sent to her from children around the world.  These thoughtful gifts let me see that many people besides me were wishing for peace.  The memorial ceremony held each August 6th also gave me hope that one day the threat of nuclear war would be null.  When dozens of white doves flew into the sky at the ceremony's end, I felt my heart lift, too.

Some special links in remembrance:

* Hiroshima Peace Site
* Photographs of Hiroshima & Nagasaki
* The Exploratorium Memory Project:  Nagasaki
* Thoughts from Lucy Walker, Director of Countdown to Zero
* A-bomb Survivors from Hiroshima Talk About Peace

art resolution

There have been times in my life when my job was art.  For a time, I worked with wood, vinyl, metal and concrete on practical artistic jobs involving building renovations.  Later I designed the "look" of race cars and go-karts, logos and race apparel in Italy.  Occasionally, I was hired to make illustrations for small publications. 

These days I work at my sons' K-8 school and enjoy some artistic aspects to my job ~ graphic design, social media, student performances and events ~ all pretty fun, creative/interactive duties.  But lately, I have the need for more personal creation.  I'm daydreaming about paint and perspective, browsing art magazines and carrying a sketchbook around.

I'm under no special illusions that what I create is going to be grand or important.  In fact, I am more enamored with the idea of small sketches and quick impressions.  I'm finding little ways to fit art here and there into my day.

sketch before eating!  :)

So, I thought to make an art resolution:

• work on some kind of art each day
• participate in artistic projects that challenge me
• talk to other artists and get inspired by their work
• hopefully inspire them, too

Please join me!


xo kimi