Open day and arty things

This Tuesday just gone we had some kind of parent open afternoon at school, and I love these days! This is when all students put out and on display the artwork they have recently produced. It's so cool wandering around the corridors looking at paintings, etched glass, metal sculptures, paper lanterns, hanga and silhouetted pictures (I don't know how to describe them in Japanese, so check the pictures below).

Thanks to these displays I have realised just what the art teacher gets up to, and so have been really fortunate to have her show me a few things. So far I've made a hanga - you etch/carve a line drawing into a flat piece of wood, then paint it in multi- or mono- colour and press it onto paper for a really nice woodblock image; and some metalwork - via a cut-cardboard 'mould' I formed a small, metal kangaroo.

I have every intention of trying the etched glasswork, as well as the cut-paper, silhouetted thingies. (I really need to find a name for those...). I also need to get back into sketching, I've done precious little since I've been here (although during winter I blame the lack of all-round motivation on the cold and darkness) and with inspiration hitting it's time to pull the thumb out!

You should be able to click on the images below for an enlarged version!


Glass etchings






Paper lanterns








And finally, those silhouetted things I don't know the proper name of...