This month I have been expanding my activities to include visual arts. What a treat!
I have signed up for a weekly ikebana (flower arranging) class, in the very traditional Ikenobo style. Ikebana isn't like American-style flower-arranging, which my teacher calls "gorgeous" (but means to say, "too much"). It's sparse-looking yet very complex. lIkebana is an art that all Japanese women were required to learn, in the past.
The teacher of the ikebana course (a tiny woman of at least 80) will also teach a Tea Ceremony class later this month, to which I am invited. An honor!
And this week I started embroidering a quilt piece with a group of older ladies. Each week in our town library, a rotating art dislpay is featured. This week featured spectacular quilts from all over the world. They have a table set up for locals to try their hand at the embroidering. Makes me think of Grandma Isabelle!
I have also had numerous opportunities to sing in Furano.
At the favorite watering hole of many Furano English-speakers, Nick and I were asked to lead in singing "Imagine". That song is always inspiring.
And often in classes I sing with the students. Today with elementary students it was "Head Shoulders Knees & Toes" and "If You're Happy and You Know It". With one particularly cool peace-nic teacher at a junior high, we sing songs like "Blowin in the Wind" and "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing". I have also sung Backstreet Boys songs, but let's not mention that. . .
Next weekend some of my vocal recordings will be part of a school ceremony. I sang an old Girl Scout song in both English and Japanese. The words are:
Make new friends but keep the old.
One is sliver and the other gold.
I have signed up for a weekly ikebana (flower arranging) class, in the very traditional Ikenobo style. Ikebana isn't like American-style flower-arranging, which my teacher calls "gorgeous" (but means to say, "too much"). It's sparse-looking yet very complex. lIkebana is an art that all Japanese women were required to learn, in the past.
Ikenobo ikebana includes line, movement and color. All three elements must be within the arrangement. For example, in the one above dated 3/3/08, the 'line' is the spiky leaves, the curved 'movement' is the white flowers, and the 'color' is the yellow and pink.
And this week I started embroidering a quilt piece with a group of older ladies. Each week in our town library, a rotating art dislpay is featured. This week featured spectacular quilts from all over the world. They have a table set up for locals to try their hand at the embroidering. Makes me think of Grandma Isabelle!
I have also had numerous opportunities to sing in Furano.
At the favorite watering hole of many Furano English-speakers, Nick and I were asked to lead in singing "Imagine". That song is always inspiring.
And often in classes I sing with the students. Today with elementary students it was "Head Shoulders Knees & Toes" and "If You're Happy and You Know It". With one particularly cool peace-nic teacher at a junior high, we sing songs like "Blowin in the Wind" and "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing". I have also sung Backstreet Boys songs, but let's not mention that. . .
Next weekend some of my vocal recordings will be part of a school ceremony. I sang an old Girl Scout song in both English and Japanese. The words are:
Make new friends but keep the old.
One is sliver and the other gold.
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