Written on April 12, 1991 [Permalink]

April 5

Not a good week for working .... the kids are on their spring break, and it's difficult to get down to peaceful work with all the distraction around the house. Luckily, this month's print doesn't have much in the way of kimono patterns, and there is no pressure to keep going when I don't really feel like it. The kimono and head were finished last night, and today I started on the poem.

Started a new habit this week - the 'Monday Mailing'. There's nothing cooking in the way of P/R at the moment, and it's too soon to start sending stuff to newspapers and magazines again, so decided that rather than just sit here doing nothing, I'd try and think of somebody worth contacting about this project each and every Monday. This week I sent off a sample print and letter to the curator of the Gallery/Museum at the Bunkamura complex in Shibuya, asking about the possibility of an exhibition in 1994, when 50 prints will be ready. I don't want to be holding the big 'half-way' exhibition at a local gallery, but if I want to be in a big space downtown, I had better start trying to make arrangements soon. Next Monday .... who? ....

A phone call today from Nihon TV. They read about my work in a magazine (Serai?) and are thinking of doing something on one of their news programs. If it comes off, I'll really have to try and get them to put something about 'looking for subscribers .... please call ... etc. ...'. But as usual, I doubt if that will be possible. Anyway, should be fun. One more for the files.

April 7

Finished the sumi block (after a few dozen pages of biotechnology translations), and printed 130 or so of the name labels so the women can get busy with the folders. I think that they've got enough blank ones made up to do this month's print already, and have been waiting for me. I'm not sure, as they are handling all that stuff now completely by themselves. They just tell me when they need more supplies, and I order them (and pay the bills!). It seems that Ashida-san has decided to stay with us, and they'll be working together, with Shintani-san doing most of the actual folder making, and Ashida-san doing the stuff that needs more thinking ... coordinating the mailing, seeing that the correct labels get pasted inside, preparing back issues for mailing, etc. She's hugely competent, and It's fabulous that she's been willing to stick around and do this; it makes an incredible difference ...

April 8

Finished the colour block (four colours on one piece). Managed again to keep the back side of the sumi block free. I've now got about eight or nine of these 'insurance' blocks sitting here. I'd rather not use them at all, but it's good to know they're there, if Shimano-san ever gets sick and stops sending blocks. I could use these for sumi carving, and then use plywood or something for colours. I've also got six untouched blocks sitting in storage in Canada, ordered about seven years ago, and still not used. More insurance ...

Today's 'Monday Mailing' was a print and letter to Kateigaho magazine. They run features on various 'arty' stuff now and then, and their readers should be a pretty good target audience for my prints. I send them a small letter mailing last year, but perhaps this will get more attention.

April 9

Phone call today from a Nancy Wilson, who is some kind of bigwig in the CWAJ. She read the first of the Mainichi articles yesterday, and wanted to know a bit more. The Association has a lecture series every year, and 1992's topic is to be Heian era culture. She thought that perhaps some kind of connection with Hyaku-ni nIsshu ..... I don't know that they would want me to do one of the formal lectures, but they have various other get-togethers, and perhaps a small demo/talk for a group of members could be arranged. I sent a sample pak and information. All this talk about 1992 and 1994 .... But I guess I started it, by talking about 1998!

Printed black and colours on five sample sheets, trying to find the right mix. The purplish colour, which I had expected to be a tough one to find, came up right away, but the red, which I hadn't worried about at all, looks funny. I tried beni, bengara, and a mix of the two, but nothing seems right. Himi suggests a green. Maybe .... I haven't used any nice deep greens yet in this series, and it just might work. We'll see on Friday.

April 10

Moistened 60 sheets for this week's run of Tomonori. I'm dreading tomorrow's sumi printing. Last summer before we went to the country, I did a small run of Semi Maru, with the black kimono, and it turned out quite well, smooth and consistent. Since then, all the attempts to print black have been crummy - last year's Sangi Hitoshi, for example. Can I find the combination again?

April 11

Found it! Average moisture in the paper - a 'moderate' amount of sumi - no nori - and no extra water on the brush. The black is not Matsuzaki's jet black, not even close, but it is quite smooth and even. My typical wet blotchyness was only evident on the first few sheets, the ones in contact with the newspaper stack. Michiyo's now 'super-strained' sumi seems just fine. It was a trick trying to keep the face from getting bashed by the pressure needed to get the black smooth.

After running the 60 sheets, tried printing a double impression for the hat, but stopped after a dozen or so, as the super jet black on the hat just made the kimono seem less solid. I don't think I'll use the hat block, as the print seems fine without it.

April 12

Colours on the 60. Saved that 'under kimono' for the last, as I couldn't make my mind up on a colour. Tried a couple of greens ... some blues ... using the same colour as the hakama, thinned down. Finally settled on a faint light brown. Not good, but relatively innocuous.

Prepped up 70 sheets for tomorrow.