Life is beautiful

Great to catch up sketch club members in #YeoPark on #MothersDay. #Figures #mood #faceexpressions and a #bodylanguage interest me most. Always " #life is #beautiful and people are #lovely ," is my ultimate message. My #sketch made a model’s families so happy in different countries at once – digital technology connected them by live broadcasting! The sweet #daddy and #grandpa enjoyed #Chinese #brush #painting. Very happy to see their smiling and happy chats. Thank you for sharing #joy. My great honour. #watercolour #yeopark #figures #母の日. #シドニー #スケッチクラブ は集り楽しみました. メンバーは #父 また #祖父 なので, #海外在住 の #近親 #家族に 私の #絵 をmobile phoneで見せました. #孫達 #娘 が喜ぶのを見るのは本当に嬉しかったし光栄の いたりでした. 絵は人と人をつなぐ #かけはし です. #水彩画 #水彩

Thank you for modelling. #watercolour #sydney #australia #母の日. #シドニー #スケッチクラブ は集り楽しみました. 人の #雰囲気 #表情 #bodylanguage は私がいつも 興味を最も強く感じます. "生るって #すばらしい #人 は いつも #美しい ,"が 私の絵の #窮極のメッセージ です. それが伝わる #絵 をかくのが 私の #目標です. 時に, タダの #人間 , Sadami, めげそうになります. でも, みなさんの 応援に 支えられ,がんばります. #水彩画 #水彩

Life is beautiful

Sydney Harbour Bridge, Sketch Club

Brave Sydney Sketch Club members enjoyed a meeting in Milsons Point despite in a cold and patch rain. Milsons Point is called a hundred million dollar view that has Sydney Harbour Bridge, opera house, a wharf, City, Luna Park and etc. This is the Harbour Bridge from the bottom angle. I played with colours. "Have your own colours," (a psychologist, a source unknown) is my favourite say. A high humidity helped wet in wet.  

One member beautifully included the bridge, the opera house etc above in a clever work. We all did hats off to her at a cafe, uttering, "Ahhh, ohhh, whaa"! So, with respect, I sketched that member across a table, below. The kind and humble member gave me a sweet compliment on the sketch. Not me, it was her ; she was an amazing artist! Each member chose an interesting spot and a view. All of us enjoyed socialisation and looking around other's great efforts in sketches. Group activities are wonderful. Mutual encouragement is so nice. Our group is closed on net = don't need to worry about exposure. Any subject will do. It's up to each member.  

The projects are steadily ongoing, which include the workshop for children at Eastwood Library. Sydney Sketch Club always gives me a break, refreshing and an experimental attempt. I've been searching for my own colour use in landscapes, apart from realism. This Harbour Bridge sketch may give me a clue to find who I am. I'm not ashamed of my messes in sketches. Of course, sometimes, I feel a bit embarrassing to show them in "show and tell" in a sketch club. But it's the process of growing as an artist. I appreciate members' cheers and encouragements. 
Friends, Happy Painting and Enjoy Friendship with same heart people. 

Sydney Harbour Bridge, Sketch Club

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

Jurassic Plastic, Art Alerts Consumerism and Waste

Sydney Sketch Club joined Jurassic Plastic in Sydney Festival. Jurassic Plastic (see photos in the post), a sophisticated satire, warns mass consumerism and waste. *Lower Town Hall, 6-28 Jan, 9 am-5 pm, closed Mondays. Japanese artist Hiroshi Fuji has created dinosaurs from forsaken toys. His colourful art work gives unwanted toys second lives. The revived toys have become popular sculptures welcomed by children and adults. Unwanted toys make beautiful maps on the floor. Above all, the Jurassic Plastic is the place of fun and play. All kids go insanely happy, play with toys and look around their favourite T rexes.  

So clever! What an irony that by the artist's hands, our wasted toys create such gorgeous sculptures! Many interpretations of the art work are possible and complicated. Adults begin to stop and think over our life style, while kids get so excited and keep on playing with toys for hours and hours. So, parents have a rest for a while?! The art work is very vibrant and delightful. The space successfully has two functions : the exhibition of art work and the play ground for children and adults. 

Volunteer workers assist children and parents. This girl is collecting all Doraemons and counting them. Staff helps her each time. Her daddy with another sleeping young baby on the back is happily looking at them. 

  The staff explains DOs and DO NOTs at the entrance. 

This exhibition challenges our life style and shows that wised-up art well handles  social issues, which reaches children and adults. The art work raises questions towards us. The same is true of good children picture books. I hope I'd create a good picture book and art work. 

Btw, our Sydney Sketch Club has a wonderful logo created by our member, Rick Lum. Cool! Thank you for the organiser, Jennifer. She always takes us to inspiring and fun events that give us food for thoughts.  
Friends, Happy Painting and Creating! 

  

Jurassic Plastic, Art Alerts Consumerism and Waste

Encouraged by Someone

On a street, I saw a scattered tiny sketch book on a garbage collecting day. In it, these wonderful encouragements were written in all capitals by hand. 

• THERE IS NOTHING IN THE WORLD THAT CAN BREAK YOU. 
• NO ONE CAN TAKE CARE OF YOU LIKE YOURSELF. 
• YOU WILL BE JUST FINE. 

How sweet they are and so true! 
Artists tend to get isolated in society because of the nature of work.  We sometimes either get stuck in creativity or suffer in technical development or experiments. We, artists are only human. Of course, we feel like crying.  In such a tough time, I hope these kind messages comfort you and encourage you. Just a little bit set back, have a cup of tea and remember these words.  

As well as the self-encouragement above, it's very important to make friends with others. Don't be alone, Friends! Group activities are lovely and essential. This is one of Sydney Sketch Club members who always encourages me. "Oh, I know this guy. He looks much better than me," he said to make us laugh in a pub. Thank you. Oh, really God bless you! How much I appreciate his smile! Last Sunday, we enjoyed sketching and had lunch together. One member would leave Australia. We chatted, hugged and had a great time. Friendship is a priceless assets in an art journey or anyone's life!   

A former owner of the sketch book, a lady seemed to study about digital design. I hope that she would endeavour to a new adventure or gained success in her area. I hang each of her hand writings in a study and a kitchen. She would never expect her graffiti encouraging me. 
Now, I'm working on other projects and preparing for the book launch of My Dog Socks in the midele of October.  
In difficulty, please remember the messages and friends. I hope everyone of us will reach at a dream. Thank you for your support! 
Friends, Happy Painting! 

Encouraged by Someone

Cremorne Point, Sydney Sketch Club

Sydney Sketch Club enjoyed catch-up in Cremorne Point where we can see Sydney Opera House, Harbour Bridge and Sydney Tower. Opposite to the three famous spots in City. A wind was becoming cold, as it was autumn. But smile, cheerful laughs and nice chats were pouring among us. Btw, members assisted the lady with difficulty in mobility who missed out a private tour ferry. One member kept an eye on the sea and the ferry returned to the wharf! We assisted the lady. Nice to see a happy ending. 

A little deed was wonderful to refresh myself. It was good to see members and to enjoy drawing together outside in busy days, because the due dates are coming, of My dog Socks and another important project. It's essential for artists to have stress busters.   

The beauty of group activities is friendship and networking. A member and I chatted over her self-publishing of art work. She planned it for quite a long time and had come to nearly making come true. It was exciting and interesting for me and other members. I heartily hope everything will go well with her. Another fun was to sketch each other. This member helped the lady. Her down jacket looked very warm, designed for a winter. A visiting British artist remembers me (*Me, too. We met three years ago in this group!). We enjoyed a chat over publication, too and exchanged information. It's lovely to see unique members and thought-provoking artists.     

Another week has started! I hope all of us will have a creative week. I want to make a good progress in the projects. I'm fully charged with energy in the sketch meet at the weekend. Let's get back to a studio. 
Friends, Happy Painting! 

Cremorne Point, Sydney Sketch Club