These eight years I have visited Bali in March and April. This year, however, I went during the year-end holidays. My old great friend Kato and I built a studio here on Lembongan Island last April, and we started teaching children art. Kato said to me why don't you go to the island, children are waiting for you. So I decided to go there instead of my customary visit to the snow country in Japan. It was the rainy season in Bali. We suffered from occasional rain showers, but it was hot and the fruit is good in this season.
Kato is well-known and has a good reputation through at the island. Now some children call me Shuji in the busy street. My friend in Yokohama said to me you had a great working holiday rather than painting holiday. It is certainly an apt definition.But I am still happy and dream of my next visit.
Thank you,
Shuji |
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Although many Japanese enjoyed a long holiday in May 2005, we had only three days painting holiday in Nagano due to my job schedule. But we were lucky enough to enjoy painting in gorgeous weather. On the first morning we went to Nagano by the bullet train, were picked up at Nagano Station and visited St. Cousair winery. We enjoyed painting several pictures before and after our wine lunch. Then another bus from the Ryokan (Japanese hotel) came to the winery to pick us up and take us to Yudanaka Onsen (Spa). Needless to say we painted another picture before bathing and dinner. Every thing went well and we were very happy.
This was the forth time to visit Nagano for the painting holiday. We had been trying to visit a couple of new spots every year. This year we found a little-known place where beautiful Mizubasho (skunk cabbages) were blooming. |
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When I said to my friend Trevor, who was born and raised in Yorkshire, I was planning to go to Whitby, he let me know about many places to visit. Every place was new for me and I enjoyed them, but I had been slightly strained. Eventually I moved to the familiar places. Gradually both my pictures and my mind were getting looser.
It was bound to happen, but what a plight it is to lose your wallet while traveling abroad! I lost my wallet in the bus back to Stratford from Warwick four days before returning to Japan. It depressed me. I felt as if I were a little child again. We grew up and got some money, credit cards, and a driver's license. I lost all of them plus my pride, but I still have the picture I painted to regain my spirit. I rang my wife and son for a remittance from Japan.
Now the trauma of being penniless was healed and I feel as if those days in England were my midnight summer dreams.
I wish to express my gratitude to my many friends in England, my family, and my painting for their immense help. |
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Nusa Lembongan is a small island off Bali?fs southeast coast. It is popular for its white sand, quiet pace of life and deeply religious inhabitants. My great old friend Kato and I built the studio here last April. The name is Painting Holiday Studio in Lembongan. We had the rite of the studio opening by priests and gamelan music. Subsequently, I did four sessions of the water colour demonstration and workshop. I taught 20 children on this island. I was very happy with them.
Thank you,
Shuji |
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| For me, writing captions is much more troublesome than painting. I paint instinctively, and with success, if I may say so myself. However, when I try to write captions for pictures later on, words never come easily to my mind - even in Japanese! I just recycle cliches. I considered the reason for this. I have, on the whole, been painting the same tired cliches recently. I have painted the same scenes repeatedly, unconsciously. I want to visit an unfamiliar place and paint new scenes. If it is not possible, I will attempt to find new perspectives in familiar places. |
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