Friday, November 28, 2008

Mt Fuji View 7



7th view from the foot of firey Fujiyama.

"tiger tiger burning bright
in the forests of the night"

Hokusai is showing me his 24 views of Fujiyama and I am recording his vision along the way to the next view. One view at a time in my moleskine.

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Frans Masereel



Frans Masereel. 1889-1972, master woodcut artist of novels without words. Spent an hour in the library with the large Rizzoli book of his graphic images. My library has a rare books section. Made a pencil sketch in my pocketbook moleskine of Frans as a young man. Added his hero rising towards his idea/ideal sun symbol.


Cineman8 has created some professional videos on youtube with surprisingly apt music, passionate gypsy violin pieces that make me think of Bartok. I don't often listen to classical so I could be wrong. The movement of the camera eye animates Masereel's prints, bringing attention to little details I miss just looking at a page.

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Mt Fuji View 6



The fisherman from Kajikazawa.

Pocketbook moleskine journey of Hokusai's 24 Views of Mt. Fuji.

Sunday, November 23, 2008

Mt Fuji View 5



Under the Mannen Bridge in Fukagawa. City traffic and Fujiyama is so distant.

Pocketbook moleskine journey of Hokusai's 24 Views of Mt. Fuji.

Friday, November 21, 2008

Moleskine in Monterey




Spent most of the time walking along the coastline and through neighborhoods of beautiful well preserved homes. Did more walking than sketching, a bit intimidated how to fill this neverending scroll of paper. Decided to just have fun that's when the cat made its appearance.

Mt Fuji View 4




The Tama River in Murashino. This stop is refreshing, looking down at the placid water. 4th of Hokusai's 24 Views of Mt. Fuji.

Pocketbook moleskine journey through Hokusai's floating world.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Mt Fuji View 3



Fuji from Hodogaya. View 3 of 24 woodblock prints by Hokusai. I am a bit tired at this view. Perhaps it's the exertion of the long journey for everyone.

Pocketbook moleskine journey through Hokusai's floating world.

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Mt Fuji View 2



2nd view from a teahouse in Yoshida on the eastern coast route.

Pocketbook moleskine journey of Hokusai's 24 Views of Mt. Fuji.

Saturday, November 15, 2008

Mt Fuji View 1




24 views of Mt. Fuji, out of over a hundred views, woodblock prints by Hokusai.

This is the barrel maker in Owari.

Pocketbook moleskine journey of Hokusai's floating world.

Friday, November 14, 2008

Jury Duty at the Beach


Can't complain about the ocean location for jury duty. View from the 3rd floor in Long Beach, Ocean Blvd, looking west towards the oil refineries in Torrance. Speilberg used them, turned upside down, for the spaceship in Close Encounters. They do look more glamorous at night.


Long Beach doesn't have the natural beauty of San Francisco but tourists find it attractive. Someplace else always looks more interesting than home. The Queen Mary will always be a lovely and homey floating hotel.

Friday, November 7, 2008

Pear Tai Chi



Something silly while I was using pears for models. A birthday card.

I'm caught up with making sketches of Hokusai's 24 Views of Mount Fuji. A sort of journey in my head. Working on view 4 and still have to finish 2 and 3. Work in progress. How to deal with Hokusai's meticulous woodcuts especially in the much smaller size of the moleskine. Hope to finish the views before posting them. Everything has to be simplified, less detail and the paper size is wider than Hokusai's format.

Thursday, November 6, 2008

Randy's Living Room



Santa Rosa hill country. Randy's house built on the side of a hill is full of things about him. Musical instruments, textiles from India, music, artwork, memories from the 60's. Lots of stories. He even had a sweat teepee at the top of the hill.