My Dog Socks shortlisted in the Speech Patholody Award!

Friends, good news. Our picture book, "My Dog Socks" is shortlisted in the Speech Patholody Award Australia 2018 in the category from 3 to 8 years old! Thank you very much for all the supporters, author Robyn Osborne and Publisher/Daddy Paul Collins. Robyn's wonderful text, her hard work and Daddy Paul, the opportunity given to be published have made it happen. As well as Speech Pathology Award, My Dog Socks is listed on the NSW Premier's Reading Challenge list and CBCA / Children's Book Council of Australia Notables 2018. Very Happy. Special thanks, great joy, Sadami. 

My Dog Socks shortlisted in the Speech Patholody Award!

Pull Yourself Together, Japan!

災害にあわれた全ての方々に、心よりお見舞い申し上げます。The news on Japanese flood was shocking like the earthquake in 2011. I could not help, but shed tears. Yet, Japanese people, you've already shown heroism and a great mutual help in that dreadful catastrophe. I heartily hope everything works out for recovery.  

Pull Yourself Together, Japan!

Changing and Universal Continuity

(Posted sketches : a winter sky and Sydney Sketch Club member measuring a subject.) A generation gap exists though, always the important things will not change in a value system such as love, honesty and hope. In art, particularly, in watercolour painting, materials are incessantly advancing. New artists emerge with interesting brush strokes and techniques. If I do not catch up with changing, I will be far behind time. But good themes have universal messages. 

Something common and precious continues in our global value, said my friend and a philosophy student. True. Today, her say remains in my heart. Look up good and widely loved and accepted picture books. They talk of commonality in a human value such as love, virtue, courage, hope etc, etc. If we can produce art work that taps an all-embracing value, it reaches anyone's hearts in the world. A picture book creator dreams it. 

The same is true of linguistics. A leading youngish sociolinguist and friend and I had coffee at Sydney uni. I felt my age, as my familiar linguists and former lecturers already became Australia legends. Or for my dear friend, my well-known linguists were "must"-study-linguists at uni -- imagine, my favourite linguists were classic to her. They were, as if, Turner and John Singer Sargent for my dear friend. Gulp, I haven't got in a museum yet?! Very happy to see such wonderful sociolinguists emerging one after another. The friend's started supervising a postgraduate student. It amazes me. The friend invites me for a conference. I will! My old brain needs exercises. At the same time, I know many young sociolinguists fighting against social injustice and for human rights, which are universally important continuity on the earth. 

I hope I will create a good picture book. It was lovely to catch up with the linguist friend and a Sydney Sketch Club meeting. The club members warmly welcomed me and some were worried about my absence. Oh, thank you. I was too busy to come. I will join group activities more. 

Friends, you, too, enjoy changing and continuity in life. Thank you for reading this post!
Happy Painting! 

Changing and Universal Continuity

Enjoy Challenging

Very good news that a leg is so stable, a physiotherapist has concluded in a review. He commended my hard work. Thank you very much for a strong support for more than a decade. My exercises and a long distant swimming have paid off, whether rain or shine, summer or winter. Other good news. School and WestWords have asked me to run an art workshop more and onward. Other illustration projects are ongoing! Very happy and busy. 

Of course, I sometimes felt down and out, and cried. A physio exercise was not easy to keep up and very stressful. Swimming in the sea in a winter was challenging (*I swam 700m at Narrabeen beach / an ocean pool last Sat in the middle of winter, brrr!). I've simply believed that these exercises would help my leg and never stopped them. Yes, I've walked again and improved the function little by little for ages and to the present. Here's Arts Access Australia's interview of me in 2011. I like this say, any suffering has a unique meaning for an individual. Another bonus is I sketched waves after swimming -- all were sold in a solo exhibition and very popular. This one is on a studio wall that makes me smile. Who did expect that I, who could only swim 25m, would make 1 km today? Gradually, I swam a long distance. A person can enjoy tasks in a healthy manner at a reasonable level (= Consult specialists, please!). 

I popped up Sydney Sketch Club, as I could find a spare time. Nice to catch up with others and enjoyed a chat. I sketched a member who looked up and stayed still only for a second. It was challenging to capture that crucial moment, but fun, like hunting. Below is another sketch at a pub, a harmonica player and a principal vocal in a band. I did not mind making a mess in drawing and painting. It has taken years to draw figures at the current level. I want to go further, meanwhile I will advocate people with disability in arts. My former physio said, "It would not have happened if you had not worked so hard. Well done you!" My medical team celebrates the good outcome. 

Friends, not easy, but it's worth enjoying challenging in a positive and optimistic way. I'll keep up this attitude. I appreciate your cheers for years. 

Enjoy painting and life fully! ((Hugs)), From Sadami 

Enjoy Challenging

School teaching becomes a great success!

A fresh air comes from WestWords, an "Art Attack" lesson! My 6 weeks school teaching project turns out a great success. All the students enjoyed my class. They did not want to wrap up and spent an extra time in the last class. The students said, "Thank you for teaching. We wish we could have you for our school art teacher!" Principal/school and WestWords are so pleased with the favourable outcome of my work. I'm honoured.  

In the project, the students, a teacher and I visited WestWords, their brand new centre in Parramatta! The tour excited the children very much. We looked around wonderful facilities, a rich book collection and original illustrations created by professionals. Yes, the children saw my picture books, art works and the huge image of a print press around the stairwell. In the beautiful room, I had a class. We learned about dot painting and the children developed their own styles. Fun!

Teaching is learning, I believe. I've learned a lot from this school residency. I greatly thank for WestWords and the staff. I also thank for uni lecturers, an art supply and National Association for the Visual Arts that gave advice to my research. Each week, I did the broad and deep research on materials, techniques, styles, etc, etc. Then, handouts were organised. Our hard work led to success. Very happy to facilitate my skills and the knowledge learned from uni study. 

Some students followed me on the school play ground, even after the last class. They wanted to chat over drawing with me, endlessly! A smiling teacher said to me, "Oh, they will do art (class) all day long!" Yes, the children love art. I was very blessed to have such good students loving art. 

Thank you, the Principal, the school, WestWords, for giving me the fabulous opportunity. I appreciate the backup from WestWords. WestWords team, you're the real heroes! I hope the students will enjoy art more than ever. I'll use this experience in upcoming projects. 
Friends, thank you for your cheers. I'll keep up good work. You, too, enjoy art. Art is joy. 
Happy Painting!  

School teaching becomes a great success!

Kids' Book Review on Moon, my debut work

Thank you very much, "Kids' Book Review," for talented illustrator/author Penelope Pratley's wonderful review of my debut trade picture book written by Matt Zarbo. My mentors (Books Illustratred / Ann James, Ann Haddon), Helen Chamberlin (editor of Moon) and Matt, too, over the moon. My signed picture books and prints limited edition are available at BooksIllustrated. Dear friends share joy and my good news on Face Book. Thank you for warm cheers for ages. I'll keep up.  

http://www.kids-bookreview.com/2018/02/review-moon.html

Review: Moon

Moon is a tender story that

wraps its pages gently
around the relationship
between a father and son,
spreading the message
about the importance of our relationships with family and
providing a way we can
remain close, even when
we are far apart.

It is always difficult to say
goodbye, especially when one
of your parents must travel away
for work and you don't really
have an understanding of
how long they will be gone for.
By making the moon a central presence in this book we
travel across the land and sea
as Max and his Dad find a way to connect despite the distance.

The author, Matt Zurbo has given the moon a voice in this elegantly written story
that beautifully reveals the nature of the moon while reflecting the constant love
a father has for his son.

The initial pages sensitively depict the emotions of Max after he waves goodbye
to his Father and waits to hear from him as the sun sets and the moon rises.
Sadami Konchi's loose, sketchy, watercolour illustrations saturate every page
with colour and life. The double page spreads are breathtaking and
the captivating text succinctly portrays the moon's moods as it spreads
its soft light across the Australian landscape.

I have a special affinity for this story as my daughter loves the moon.
She is fascinated by the way it accompanies us when we are driving at night,
apparently travelling with the car, and she is always delighted when it is
waiting for us at our destination. There is definitely something mystical and
magical about the moon and this book certainly captures that and more.

Title: Moon
Author: Matt Zurbo
Illustrator: Sadami Konchi
Publisher: Windy Hollow Books, $23.75
Publication Date: 1st August 2015
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781922081445
For ages: 5 - 8
Type: Picture Book

Kids' Book Review on Moon, my debut work

Biennale Sydney 2018 Wrapped Up

I've been very busy with school teaching and last shifts at Biennale that completed on 11 June. It was great to work as an Exhibition Host and an Access Host for people with disability. We carried it out for three months and made it happen! The fulfilled feeling is so nice. Very interesting to experience contemporary art and I met internationally leading artists in person such as Koji Ryui and Mit Jai Inn. "Meet the artists" is a great bonus from Biennale. 

I visited Cockcatoo Island and looked around the exhibition, yesterday. Lovely to see Koji Ryui. His work was very popular among visitors and us. Koji, our administrators and I enjoyed a chat over his art work. We, volunteers met Mit in training. My sketch made him smile. Thank you for signing it! 

As well as artists, I enjoyed lovely human interactions with visitors. When I did my final shift, young students came to our studio. I welcomed them. They talked over future directions, doodling on a table. I said, "Enjoy life fully, young guys! You're shining. Only once we can be young. Be silly! Do lots of experiments that will turn to be wonderful experiences." The delighted young people gave us a beautiful smile. Our reward. 

Sometimes, our shift was in a chilly rain. Freezing. But we welcomed visitors. The office provided us with blankets and hot drinks. Between shifts, we enjoyed a baked cakes competition and, of course, tasted them all! So nice and our wonderful memory. Friendship and mateship is another bonus! 

Apart from the art critiques in mass media, the team and the administrators worked so hard. Their sensitive approach to visitors was very caring and impressive. I could enrich my art world and learned a lot of modern art and what a curator's work is. I thank for Prof Ingrid Piller and Ms Ann James who gave letters for my Biennale Volunteer application. I also thank for my dear social worker friend who passed on me this opportunity. And I appreciate your support, Blogger friends! 
Now, I'm back to the studio work, the school teaching and other projects. 
Friends, Happy Painting and Enjoy Group Work!  

Biennale Sydney 2018 Wrapped Up