Boom boom boom

I have heard for years that Tatiana is an excellent teacher (she also beats kozo more meticulously than anyone I know). I had never gotten a chance to see her at work until yesterday, and I can confirm that she is the most wonderful of teachers as well as an incredible co-teacher. I enjoyed myself immensely in a way you only can when you sincerely like, admire, and trust your partner.

After Friday's lecture, which was a funny precursor to the workshop because the auditorium was very, very cold (I had to use a lot of energy controlling my voice so it didn't shake with my shivering), we prepared a Saturday workshop of beating kozo, pulling sheets, and dyeing paper (not what we made, but a nice Okawara handmade that Tatiana uses for her dyeing classes).

It's always fun to see mordants in action. Tatiana's setup was meticulous and this was on top of her battling a cold, and having been delayed five hours on the previous day at the airport.

Kevin at left is the new Asian art curator at the art museum at Oberlin, and Katie is a chemistry professor there (she and I used to play violin in the orchestra when we were students! She still plays while my violin languishes). It was so great to have a chemist be able to explain hydrogen bonding in a way that I never could.

We had a paintings conservator as well, along with an art professor, Japanese professor, librarian, athletics director, assistant director of a non-profit that promotes understanding between Asians and Americans, and students who study East Asian studies, art, biology, and environmental studies.

We shared a delicious dinner at a nearby Chinese restaurant where we must have ordered something like 12-15 dishes. Hot plates just kept emerging from the kitchen and I was too tired to NOT eat. After dropping Tatiana at the hotel and saying goodbye, I had the hardest time packing because I was so sleepy that it was hard to sort everything without just falling over to nap. Thankfully, I had zero glitches in my travel to Chicago today and spent the afternoon running errands and eating two dinners. It's a trip to be back here after almost ten years; the adventure commences tomorrow morning, bright and early!

Oh, and my Iowa City lecture is online: Friday afternoon, right before spring break!