Written on February 25, 1992 [Permalink]

February 23

Kids late getting to bed tonight, so didn't get started until about 10:00 (PM) - and it didn't come together very well. Gave up after about 10 sheets. The paper is a bit on the dry side, there's something wrong with the baren skin, and I guess I'm just generally run down from fooling around with the kids all day ...

The baren is interesting. I tied on a new skin for the demonstrations last month, and as it was barely worn at all, thought that I'd keep the same skin on today. No go, and I wonder if maybe they don't age very well...? It seems to have become quite rippled, even though I've been storing it upside down, like Matsuzaki-san showed me. It's no good asking him about it, as the idea of having the same skin on for five or six weeks would seem ridiculous to him ...

February 24

Better today. I moistened the paper a bit better last night, and with a new baren skin and a clearer head, things were OK. Not great, but OK. When it came time to make some colour tests, I mixed what I thought were some quite nice - new - colours, and ran off some samples on junk paper. Each colour individually looks fine, but the juxtaposition ... When I go and look at the 'books' to see some other prints (Yuyudo's catalogue has a whole bunch of beautifully illustrated prints), it seems to be that the most wonderfully diverse colours can go together with no problem, but when I see mine on paper, they don't seem to make it. I don't think this is because my colour samples are just plain 'bad', but simply because I can't seem to be objective about my own choices. When I see a finished print (presumably made by a confident printer), my brain simply accepts what it sees there as being acceptable, but when I look at my own test sample, I flip-flop. "Wow, that's beautiful." Five minutes later, "No, it's not, it's ugly." Five minutes later, "No, It's fine ... I think."

In the end, I played safe and used a simple, yellowish kimono, combined with a hakama colour that I know is beautiful. I used the blue-lilac that I was considering for the kimono for an under-area instead.

Gave Usui-san in Niigata a call to find out who makes the paulownia boxes that he uses to pack his knives. I'd like to get something going with that 'government gifts' idea ... He says that a friend (relative?) makes them for him. At his suggestion, I sent off a letter with dimensions, etc., asking for price information.

Got a phone call from somebody in the Rotary Club in Hino City, asking if I would be interested in being a guest speaker for a luncheon meeting. It would be sometime in June, and of course I agreed. He had seen the NHK show in January, and phoned Hamura City Hall to get my number! (I'm glad they didn't say, "Who?")

February 25

Before starting colour printing in the morning, prepared 70 sheets for the second run, ready for doing the sumi in the evening. The women are going to be here on Friday to do the shipping, and I'm not sure if there will be enough prints ready from just the first batch.

The colour printing went pretty well. I don't seem to have many problems anymore with colours. Keeping the paper well moistened, having a good jar of nori handy, using a nice fat tokibo for the pigment, moistening the block well before starting ... all lessons learned painfully over the years, and now automatic ... When an impression comes out not quite right, I can usually tell just what to do to correct it. (I shouldn't start talking like this - who knows what tomorrow will bring ... and sumi is another story ...!)