Tokyo Visit

More art supplies and a museum visit were the two main reasons for taking the train to one of the most populated cities in the world. The Tokyo National Museum looked like the best opportunity for seeing some traditional Japanese paintings. It was. Looking at paintings from this period was something I had been looking forward to long before arriving here. Many of these paintings I had seen in books from college and seeing them firsthand was wonderful.

My preference is to paint in more rural settings - the busyness of the city has no appeal to me. So the paints stayed in Sano-shi while my camera came to record sights. This photo is Tokyo at one in the morning. It was as busy as Manhattan at noon.



The paint supply trip was successful. Sekaido is a major, multiple floor art store with every supply imaginable. The only bigger store that I know of is Pearl Paint in New York.

Next: The Sano-shi party

First Study from Japan

The first study was done a in a park within walking distance of the apartment where I am staying. The park is called 'Shiroyama Koen' and has a wide variety of plants and trees and several large koi ponds. Definitely a spot worth visiting again for another painting.

The sky here is generally overcast, as it was on this day. The overcast light is perfect for painting and offers the most balanced lighting for all types of work.

It was great to finally get out and paint! More to come.

Next posting: The trip to Tokyo.

Museum Visit

Well, as often happens while traveling, the museum plan was changed. The Gunma Museum was closed the day we were to visit. Instead, we visited the Kurita pottery museum in Ashikaga. Initially, I was not as interested in visiting here since there are no paintings on canvas. The nice surprise was finding excellent paintings on the pottery. All the pottery was from Imari and Nabeshima, the most famous Japanese color picture ware and dyed porcelain ware. Asuka and I had a great and informative conversation about the thinking behind the design and balance that was, for me, the most impressive characteristic of this pottery.

The other surprise of this museum was the setting. The grounds and architecture were spectacular. Simple, elegant and beautiful.

Next, first painting from Japan.