I was very surprised and excited when my calligraphy teacher, Ms. Denri Takai, texted me to check out Shukan New York Seikatsu (a free weekly newspaper).  I went over to Jmart in Ridgewood to pick up a copy and turned to page 14 to find my own calligraphy!  
  It's part of a calligraphy contest, but I'm not sure about what it says since I cannot read Japanese; my sensei is currently in Japan so I will ask her about translating it when she returns.
  I showed the owner at Jmart and she was very impressed and surprised that I did that.  I told her that I'm a painter, but this is my first time studying shodo.  Jmart has great food, snacks, sushi and other Japanese items so if you're around northern NJ, check them out!

​This paper is available online also:
 https://nyseikatsu.com/editions/988/988.pdf

  Tonight was my last lesson of shodo (Japanese calligraphy) and my final project was a kanji postcard.  I chose the kanji: 園 which means "Garden".
  I'm so thankful that I had the opportunity to study this traditional art form with a true master, Ms. Denri Takai.  It's so important to keep these practices alive and to study them directly.
  For me, I loved learning about how to use the brush by watching Denri.  As a teacher myself, I try my best to put it into works, but I've found that a lot of painting is beyond words.  Taking a class in person allowed me to watch Denri and for her to guide my hand as I practiced.  This artform is very deep (philosophically and technically) and I have a whole new appreciation for the craft of it.  I wonder if it's really possible to make a "perfect" stroke with the brush?  Maybe, but I still believe that perfection is an illusion.
  Also, to be a student again was like a breath of fresh air.  It actually felt great to be a frustrated beginner!  And I feel like this way of painting will have an impact on my own work, especially my watercolors.  The power and directness of a single brushstroke will resonate in any form of painting.
  I hope to motivate everyone out there to try something new and to take a class to support teachers.  Not just art, but language, writing, sports--It could be anything!  Personally, I would love to take a pottery wheel course sometime in the near future also...
  Happy Thanksgiving to everyone out there!

  Here is a video overview of my upcoming 2025 plein air painting tour which will be in and around Rome!  This is a great opportunity to visit, paint, sketch and learn more about these beautiful ancient sites and gardens.
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More Info:
https://www.gardentours.com/tours/italian-landscapes-and-gardens-art-tour-rome-tivoli-and-the-castelli-romani/

  Over the last few weeks, I've been enjoying a Japanese calligraphy (shodo) course taught by Ms. Denri Takai.  The course covers the materials and methods to write with a brush and ink.  Readers of my blog know that I've had a long fascination with Japan so this is something that I'm very interested in from both a cultural and aesthetic point of view.
  Like many things, it looks so simple on the outside.  And my teacher makes it look effortless (she has been doing it since childhood and is the descendant of Dengo Takai who is a calligrapher from the 1860s).  Trying it myself, I can say the challenges seem endless.  The movement and shape of the brush, the consistency of the ink, the spacing of the strokes and characters are all separate challenges.
  Other factors come into place also such as posture and my mental state.  There's no going back once the brush touches the paper so it can be intimidating.  I'm still a total novice at this, but I've already realized the depth of these challenges.  After class, I feel pretty tired because of the concentration required.  But it's still a lot of fun and the course integrates other aspects of Japanese culture and language.
  Many of these principles also apply to watercolor painting so I've been thinking about how watercolor and shodo correlate.  Brush control is really the ultimate goal for any form of painting, but the only way to achieve that is with lots of practice.  The confidence that my teacher has is a result of training and practice, practice, practice.  I feel like students sometimes try to bypass this fact by asking, "what is the secret?"
  I'm learning a lot with this course and I'll keep studying it on my own after the course.  It's really a never-ending journey and the spiritual and artistic crossover is fascinating to me.