Written on May 5, 1991 [Permalink]

May 1

Package from David Stones, in reply to the prints and newsletter stuff I sent him last week. Interesting print.... Very bright colours, many overlays, good packaging, simple but pleasing design. He obviously has quite a meticulous personality, and I'm really looking forward to seeing him and finding out how he makes these things. He enclosed a picture of his idyllic looking home, in a terraced valley out in the country. Not a car in sight- just footpaths and acres of rice fields. Michiyo is starting to make noises again about 'Why don't we get a place like that?' Why don't we? Because she's the one who refuses to settle in Japan, that's why! Who knows, maybe after seeing their set-up she might be game to try it .....

Got a reply to yesterday's mailing. These guys don't fool around (I have yet to hear from any of the others mailed over the past month or so - and don't really expect to). They are sorry, but their gallery is only for amateur artists, they don't permit sales, etc. I was tempted to ask them to send the print upstairs to the governor's office, but thought the better of it ...

May 2

What with no English classes (almost) the last few days, the carving has zoomed along. Finished Shun-e Hoshi [3-4] this evening. Just at the last step, carving the kento, found out that I had misplaced the hanshita when I was pasting it down, and there is no room on the block for the corner mark! I'll have to tack on a little stub of wood before I can carve it. Really professional ...

May 3

Spent the entire day carving the colour boards (I can't call them blocks!) for the poster. It's fast work with the round chisel ... scoop, scoop, scoop ...

May 4

60 sheets of paper wet for a run of Dainagon Tsunenobu [1-3]. Remember him? I had planned on doing a whole bunch of 'back number' printing this week, with the English classes off for Golden Week, but I guess there'll only be time for one run. Got out the blocks to see if they were OK for printing tomorrow - and couldn't believe just how bad the carving is! I had to spend about an hour trying to clean them up - deepening some places, and trimming away garbage cluttering the lines. Boy have I come a long way in two years ....

Printed the transfer copies for Shun-e Hoshi [3-4], and pasted him down. Had to do quite a bit of juggling to get the four sheets on one colour block, trying to save the back of the sumi-ban. I'm going to try doing all the clothing with one colour, printed in successively deeper tones. The four blocks will cover the same area, carved progressively smaller for each one. Will it work? We'll find out next week!

Also got in a bit of work in the PR department. Wrote a sample newspaper article describing a 'search for tools'. I'm going to send it to the editors responsible for the shitamachi area 'local' pages of the big newspapers. The idea is that if they print it, or something like it, it may be possible to make contact with people sitting on boxes of old brushes, barens, or what have you, left over from 'grandad's' time. It would sure be nice to get some more brushes. I seem to spend hours trying to wash pigment out of the half a dozen I have, so that I can use them for another tone .... I kind of doubt though, that anything will come of it. I've been told that when a shokunin is laid in the box for a cremation, it's customary to put his tools in with him. You can imagine what I think of that! Have any escaped? That would be a real kick, having a collection of old craftsmen's tools.

May 5

Wearing both hats today, printing the sumi on the Dainagon Tsunenobu, and carving the colour blocks for Shun-e Hoshi. Both went off without incident. Had some trouble getting the second sumi block to print smoothly. I still have problems when I try to print weaker black. If I put less on the block, it doesn't print smoothly. If I weaken the mixture and then put more on the block, it gets blotchy.