I have made it safely to my residency in Japan. After a few days of panic in Tokyo, I realised that I could always take refuge in the Tokyo Metro (pronounced in a musical sing song as ‘Toe-key-o Met-er-o’). I’ve been travelling the London Underground since I was a small child and Tokyo is really no different. That’s if you ignore the cleanliness, the abundance of public loos, the absence of delays and the polite queuing system. Oh and that there are two systems running consecutively with stations in common.
Tokyo if not conquered at least less terrifying, I have come out to the residency at Lake Kawaguchiko at the foot of Mount Fuji. There was obviously some sort of list in setting up the venue: Mount Fuji check, attendant mountains in shades of indigo check, lake to reflect both check, white egrets to pose by lake check, Buddhist shrine check… I could go on, but you get the picture. The residence itself is a story of two halves. By chance I am at the front of the building which is wood and paper, sliding screen doors, Fuji in full view and many tatami floor mats. The back is a more prosaic metal structure with views of lesser mountains, though still startlingly pretty. There are four other artists working here and together we have a marvellous studio, a library and a big communal kitchen for experimental cooking and the drinking of sake.
The residency is aimed at improving our working practise and to that end I have set myself a nightmare print in the hopes that it will improve my cutting and registration skills. It’s a nod to the art classes of my childhood and is based on the view from my bedroom window (I know, but how can I help being smug?). As you can see, I am in the middle of cutting it so I’ll keep you posted…
Well done.
Lovely.
Looking forward seeing and hearing more…
xo
It seems wholly appropriate that you should choose something really challenging to match your circumstances and the opportunity. I hope that your hard work brings the rewards you desire from the experience.
I too am looking forward to reading and seeing more of your progress.