On Sunday I went to a couple of art exhibitions in Aichi Prefectural Art Museum ( http://www-art.aac.pref.aichi.jp/eng/exhibition.html ). One was by a woodblock (版画) artist called Tsukuhae. Well, I thought it was by an artist called Tsukuhae, but actually it was a magazine called Tsukuhae. It was begun by three students at the Tokyo School of Fine Arts in 1914. The next year, one of the members died, so they stopped producing it.
Looking at their prints, I was inspired to make my own. When I read about the dead member, I was inspired to do it quickly...
Grammar:
- a magazine/city/restaurant called ___ = ___ というの雑誌/町/ レストラン
Kids toys can be pretty expensive. For Christmas, my son wanted a `Kamen Rider` belt, but it costs 10,000 yen - too much! However you don`t need to spend a lot of money on toys - all you need is some wood, paint, basic tools, a good idea, & some time. I had all these things recently, so I made this small wooden puzzle.
Did you make a present for anyone for Christmas?
Grammar:
- You need to... = ...しないといけません
- You don`t need to... = ...しなくてもいい
- You need... = ...ひつよう
- You don`t need... = ...いらないい
- All you need is... (love) = ...(愛)...だけあればいい
I`ve got a lot of old wood at home. I got a lot of it from the beach. This week I used some of it to make a set of small wooden boxes. I got the design for the numbers from the internet.
What will I put in them? Maybe coins; I`ve got a lot of low-value coins that I can`t be bothered (can`t be bothered = 面倒臭い) using in shops.
Grammar:
- I got... = ...を 在りついた
- I`ve got... = ...が あります
- Be careful: In spoken English, they often sound the same
In the first week of November, I will join other foreigners (外国人) for the 29th FAE. The first time I joined this exhibition was about 12 years ago. I entered it about 4 times, but I haven`t entered it for several years. I`m looking forward to joining again.
If you want to go, it`s on the fourth floor of Nagoya International Centre. You can walk there from Nagoya Station. If you want to meet me - and other artists - I`ll be there on the 9th, in the afternoon.
For more information:
http://www.nic-nagoya.or.jp/en/e/archives/7646
Vocabulary:
- first/second/third/fourth floor = 1階, 2階 , 3階, 4階
- first/second/third/fourth time = 初めて/最初, 2回目, 3回目, 4回目
- first/second/third/fourth of November = 11月の 1日 2日 3日 4日
- once, twice, three times, four times... = 1回 2回 3回
Thank you everybody who came to Teragoya on Saturday night to see my & my father`s artwork. I was happy to meet some old students who I hadn`t seen for a while. I tried to talk to everybody, but if I didn`t talk to you, I apologise.
Did you see the picture of the cat & kettle in the exhibition? A few years ago I went to Tokoname & took a photo of that scene in a shop. On Monday this week I went to Tokoname again. Using a map of the area, I managed to find that same shop. Inside, I gave my print to the shop owner. She was very happy. I saw the same cat was still in the shop. I felt happy too.
Grammar:
- a photo of ____
- a picture of ____
- a map of ____
Gifu Teragoya School will host an exhibition of my woodblock prints on Setember 6. If you`re free, please come!
For more information, go to: http://jp.bloguru.com/teragoya-gifu
A couple of weeks ago I made a blue & brown tenugui cloth featuring American cars & motifs for my first son. Now I`ve made a second one featuring British cars & motifs, for my second son.
First I did some red car silhouettes, then I showed my son a few spraycans & told him, "Choose another colour." He chose pink. I think it was a good choice - the result looks good.
Vocabulary:
- `choose` [チュウズ] is verb (動詞), `chose` [チョウズ] is past verb (過去形動詞), `choice` [チョイス] is noun (名詞)
- Be careful - `choice` [チョイス] is not a verb!
I made this 手ぬぐい cloth with my son.
First we found pictures of American `muscle` cars online & printed them.
Next we traced their outlines onto paper with a pencil.
Then we made stencils, put the stencils on the cloth & sprayed them with spray-paint.
After that my son drew steering wheel (ハンドル) & Route 66 designs with a permanent marker.
Finally I stamped it with a rubber stamp & red ink, & my son signed it `American.`
I`m worried about washing it. I hope the colours don`t run.
Grammar:
When using a tool to do something, we can say "...with [tool]" e.g.
- He unlocked my bedroom door with his bicycle key.
- Wipe the screen with a wet cloth.
- `Hit me with your rhythm stick`. (Song name: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54hszkiCKi0 )
My son asked me to make a wooden truck for him. Usually when I make a toy for him, I get him to help me a little. This time I got him to hammer in a couple of nails & spray-paint the wheels black. When the truck was finished, I told him to play with it carefully, so it doesn`t break. But actually, it seems quite strong. I hope he enjoys playing with it.
Grammar:
- ask/tell/get + だれか + to 動詞 = 頼む
- `order/instruct + だれか + to 動詞` are also possible, but not common in spoken English
A kind friend gave me tickets to an art exhibition (展示会) at Matsuzakaya Department store in Nagoya. I went to look at it before work today. I didn`t want to be late for work, so I was kind of hurrying. However the paintings were very relaxing to look at, & gradually (だんだん) I became relaxed & slowed down. Actually, it was necessary to slow down anyway, because there were so many old people there.
By the way (ところで), I didn`t take this photo. I got it from the internet. Usually you can`t take photos in museums, so I didn`t.
Grammar:
- The paintings were relaxing/boring/exciting/amazing etc.
- I felt relaxed/bored/excited/amazed etc.
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