Day 3793: Paper-cuts and Kangeiko.

"Mr. Z." drawing, digital collage

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Click here: Charlie Puth, Done for Me.

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2GN2S ...

Paper-Cut Cityscapes by Kirie Artist Hiroki Saito

Hiroki Saito first discovered the art of kirie in high school. And for the past 8 years he has been perfecting his craft. Saito’s dedication is evident in his work, which features meticulous and delicate incisions that render cityscapes so lifelike they could easily be mistaken for photographs.    

Kirie (切り絵, literally ‘cut picture’) is the Japanese art of paper-cutting. Variations of kirie can be found in cultures around the world but the Japanese version is said to be derived from religious ceremonies and can be traced back to around the AD 700s. In its most conventional form, negative space is cut from a single sheet of paper and then contrasted against a background to reveal a rendering.
  

Saito will occasionally provide glimpses into the making of his works, a process that can take up to several months for completion. You can keep up with Hiroki Saito’s work on Twitter.
  

  

 

 

I found this sweet thought from a 2018 blog. And I still feel the same.

"I like this part of the new year. 

A few days in when everything settles 

after the hectic holiday pace. Like a snow globe when the shaking stops." 

 

I have enough years logged in now, 

that I am supposed to be responsible.

And I am most of the time. But I am now in a dilemma.There are two camps of voices battling in my head.

One is probably right & the other is what I want to do! Do you ever have that happen?

One is practical, makes sense & is no fun.

The other is what I want to do!

The past years are my first to realize my health is finite. New revelations and limitations, also no fun. So this Sunday, January 8 is our annual Kangeiko*.*Traditional cold weather training, 5:30 AM, Huntington Beach.

I have never missed.

Kangeiko with Demura Sensei, 2000

So now, and probably until Sunday morning ... the mental dialogue goes on.

The doctor advises against, WonderWoman agrees and advises to go bundled up and watch. Neither of those appeal to me. In fact it would be painful to go and watch, not because of the cold, but because I'd miss the actual training in the cold air and cold water, and of course the sand which is the coldest and like shards of glass on my old feet? And we do train in the water. 

Walking in a drenched heavy canvas gi to change after is a unique experience. Often the tie on the gi pants, being wet, gets stuck and hard to untie when you're shivering. I bring a big trash bag for all the wet clothes and dry off as much wet sand as I can. 

 

Sweats, a heavy, hooded green coat (that I bought at a thrift store for $5, and is perfect to be worn once a year at Kangeiko) and Uggs are my salvation. We go for breakfast and compare notes. By 8:30 I am driving home, ready to launder all the wet clothes, towels etc. Then a hot shower where I lose the rest of the wet sand. There may be a nap, since at 9 am I have the whole day ahead. So, can't you see why I want to go?

1993

 

 

 

A 2-minute video, Kandinsky draws, here.

 

Just because ...

 

 

Blue-streaked Lory

 

Smiles for Saturday ...

 

  

 

   

 

 

 

  

 

 

                             Thanks for coming by today