color_refocus

香り / Scent
I used to wake up at 4 am to practice on live sessions with and loved the feeling it gave me for the rest of the day. Having little time during the last two weeks, I decided to wake up today and start my practice at 6 am (let’s face it, 4 am was a bit much)
I got my favorite paper, quiet and concentration. Practicing in the two styles Kaisho and Gyosho is such a fun experience. Moving from a more rigid to a cursive and fluid.

春和景明 Shunwakeimei
it was difficult to balance all 4 kanjis and in the end couldn’t do it with 明. It was fun to practice and review the basics (side and direct brushing)

Crocheting over the weekend.
This was an ambitious project to wrap a birthday gift and I only had a week to do it.
Adding the zipper and lining took a bit more time (since the sewing machine is not my usual method) but in the end I was very happy with the result.
I had the chance to follow an actual pattern and not a video, and had so much fun making this strawberry stitch pouch.

雛祭り/ Doll Festival
I can still see and feel the winter, but the sunlight makes so much difference. So much that the ink dries up faster and you can see the ink getting darker in the end. It’s also stickier and making sure the brushstrokes are lighter is definitely a challenge. thanks for another great class!

Spring haze 霞
It’s been a while since I practiced and it’s funny how the ink issues ended up reflecting the theme on a hazy kanji.
It’s so cold now in Anchorage (-15C) that the temperature in my room wasn’t quite right and the ink was thick no matter how much water I added. Finding the balance today was difficult, but in the end I’m just glad to practice.
Thanks for giving us the space to do this again!

Kakizome - the year of the horse 🐎

asked for a portrait for her birthday.
This is not something I have too much experience with but it was really fun to experiment and create!

Chris and Sofi
A belated birthday present.
Started with a red background and adding layers.
The models were happy with the portrait, that’s all that matters.

Thinking of all the women I have to thank for my life.
The times they had to live in and how being a woman was different for them. I hope their dreams and desires are finally blooming.

Green frog/ あおがえる
I’m glad I could join the last live session of the term!
Thanks for sharing your practice ☺️

The right effort / しょうしょうじん / 正精進
slowly catching up! I have to say there was a moment doing the seisho where I actually felt it was the right effort. That’s what it feels like to do calligraphy anyway 😊

God is a Sea Lion.
It’s been a while since I painted and got the opportunity to reconnect with my brush thanks to yoga teacher training. This is a work around surrender to god or Ishvara Pranidhana.
Now all my fellow trainees have a piece of god with them too.
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