Written on October 9, 1992 [Permalink]

October 4

Interview today for 'Japan Today' magazine, with one of the women from the CWAJ class. Conversation wandered all over the map, and I'm not quite sure what impression she has of me. She asked about my 'motivation' for doing this, and I think was somewhat disconcerted to find that my day-to-day words aren't quite as 'romantic' as the way it comes out in the newsletter. 'Dedicated foreigner single-handedly keeping life in dying craft tradition ...' etc. etc. Who, me? I'm just trying to make a living, doing enjoyable work! Anything to avoid the 'going to the office' routine every day ... (But maybe I shouldn't talk like that during interviews ...)

Hair and face finished, and working on the poem. I was worried about the eyes, but they seem to have come out OK. I don't know if I mentioned it before, but as the face area on the original copy is spoiled by garbage in the printing paper, I had to re-draw the eyes. (Actually, rather than try to draw something myself, I 'borrowed' two eyes from one of the already finished prints. Which one ... ?)

Off to Tokyo tomorrow for the final CWAJ session. Last week, only three or four had found the time to finish their carving, and if this week is the same, I'm not sure how we'll get their prints finished ... Maybe add an extra meeting? We'll see.

October 9

A busy week, and going very slowly on the carving. Off to Tokyo on Monday for the print class, which went very well. We practiced printing using the Neko Bus print from last year's Bunkasai, and then worked on printing samples for the few who had been able to finish their carving. Most of them weren't ready, and it was obviously optimistic to schedule the sessions each a week apart. I'd really like to see them get some good prints made though, so we've arranged for them to come out to Hamura for some extra time. The first batch of 6 women will be coming out tomorrow morning. More time away from work ...

Tuesday was the photo session with Sakurai-san. We set up as planned on the steps down at Aso Jinja, and he shot off a bunch of film. He brought the negatives and a proof sheet over this afternoon, and they seem OK. I think the shot should have enough impact to make a good flyer for the exhibition. He charged me 30,000 yen, and I have free use of the negatives to do with as I like. I'll head off to the photo store soon and order a few hundred copies ...

Got the name section of the poem finished, and rubbed a copy onto thin paper using a sheet of carbon paper. It doesn't look very good. The carving is quite 'angular', and very uncontrolled. This also happened last year, with the contrast between August and September's carving being very marked. Will I ever be able to get my life settled down enough to start doing this work properly ...?

Note from Matsushita-san of the Mainichi Newspaper (Japanese), with a 'thank you' for the newsletters and including tickets to the exhibition of Ukiyo-e paintings currently on at the Otani Museum. I had read about this in the paper and would like to get down there. I don't know if there would be much chance of getting permission to do a reproduction of one of their works, but as I don't seem to be getting any answer from the Italian people I wrote to, I'd better start exploring other angles ...

Off for a meeting with some ladies from an English circle in Hachioji. I'm to go down there and give a three hour speech-display-chat sometime in March. They want to promote it locally as an actual 'exhibition', with my stuff in frames around the room, and as a 'meet the artist' (in English) type of thing.

Key block on Kii [4-8] finally finished tonight. No time to do the transfers, and tomorrow is the session with the CWAJ ladies. At least they're coming at a reasonable time (9:00), and I should have time for work in the afternoon. Maybe. It's another school holiday (4 in 4 weeks!).