SHOW OPENING!

The show opens at Gamuso in Asagaya this Sunday, March 11! The opening party will start at 7pm and go late, with live DJ, drinks and fun. Works will be up until April 27 and Gamuso is usually open in the evenings.






MAP

Playing Around

While continuing to experiment with acrylics, teaching drawing classes at UMUC has inspired me to revisit some more traditional techniques and subjects. I hate to admit I'm a bit rusty, but that's a good lesson for my students: consistent practice = better results!

One-quarter finished...?

It's looking better, but I'm still struggling with the new medium and the smaller scale.

So Far, So-So

Here is the new painting, my first journey into acrylics. The beginning is the same process I was using before: after the drawing, which I sealed with PVA size, I painted some washes with acrylic.



After that I would usually switch to oils for the rest of the painting. So, here is the piece with the first few layers of paint. I'm not used to the consistency, or the short drying time (although I bought a kind which supposedly dries slower), and the dry color is rather flat. It is what it is.

Name In Progress: "Afternoon on the Nambu Line"

This is the sketch for a new painting which will be as large as my drafting table, which is all the space I currently have. I am already worried about the relatively small scale, because I tend to tighten up when painting less than XL. Also worried about the switch to acrylics, which I haven't bought yet. Not really sure where to start there- colors I can figure out; cadmium yellow, red, and an ultramarine blue, plus the old standby titanium white should do to start. Anything extra depends on budget. I have a feeling that, like everything else in Tokyo, art supplies cost a small fortune. But aside from colors and brushes, what mediums do I need? I still want to do the glazing techniques I was using before with oils, and mediums will be important for that, not just water. Water! It sounds so weird. Maybe I will open a bottle of turpentine while I work just so the smell is familiar.
Anyway, if I can successfully find the right supplies (i.e. read the packaging without spending 2 hours in the aisle with a dictionary) I will be on the way to recovering- finally- from my painting hiatus. To take such a long break, and then to switch to an unfamiliar method and materials... yeah, I'm nervous. But I'm excited about the subject for this piece. Gambarimasu!