
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Dig and unearth
I had the perfect last outing on Friday with Jeannie and Robert. I had gone to NY Central Art Supply to talk w/the paper buyer about carrying colored hanji, and then we stopped at B&H (not the photo place) for soup at the counter. Mine was the perfect cold cucumber soup, to get us through the evening: we hit the Folk Art Museum, MOMA, and then took a couple of buses (Robert's first time on NYC buses!) to the Rubin. The exhibit of female artists at the folk art museum was very satisfying; I love going there. The Lee Bontecou show at MOMA was not what I hoped for. Then again, maybe nothing will top MCA's retrospective of her work years back. The Rubin was the biggest treat, since I still hadn't ever been, and I was happy to introduce it to Robert. We walked to Dojo afterwards for a yummy dinner, and I was thankful for Jeannie's native New Yorker tour and positive spirits. I'm hoping Robert has a safe trip back to Belfast, and then Bangor, while I pack today for tomorrow's drive to Ithaca.
Yesterday, I had dinner with Barbara, my orchestra teacher from 7th to 12th grade. We talked about all sorts of things and sat by the river while I tried to fight the exhaustion from going w/mom to the Korean sauna early in the day for a scrub and beating (aka massage). I think I'm too old for that kind of bodywork--too many things embedded deep in my body that are not going to get worked out in an hour, and that's fine. Jeannie recommended scanning this clipping about a reading group at the public library that I used to be part of. I think it's funny that most of my face is washed out. I need to pick up this book again b/c I don't remember any adventures of Little Bear.

Thursday, August 26, 2010
I should take breaks and do jumping jacks

But, of course, some conveniences of modern life I wouldn't trade for the inconveniences of yesterday. And I am Working Hard now, but in a very unsatisfying way: doing admin in front of the computer for days straight. I'm putting in the time now in hopes that I can work ahead a little, which means I ostensibly could have more time in the studio during my residency next month. I'm plugging away at:
1. a new website that I've intended to do for at least three years now, called "hanji FAQ,"
2. some kind of moving presentation (slide show, definitely, but voiceover? Not sure) about building the hanji studio at the Morgan,
3. a ton of submissions and big applications,
4. tardy correspondence with people in Korea, and the usual
5. frantic juggling of "where is my art when and how will it get to the next place on time??"
The few things I've crossed off of my list don't seem to make it any shorter, and many of these this are open-ended, making it hard to force completion. Also, so much of the work is writing intensive. I'd rather be doing cartwheels (or trying). I love writing, but I could never write full time. NEVER.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Forever and ever

We also shot the piece going to Cleveland for the Morgan's Open House silent auction on Oct 2, an old favorite from last year's touring circuit, and the tiny book I made with Chela's text and images. I also have a new site in the works that I started this weekend, but that's under wraps until it's further along.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
The people you thank in a speech

Anne F. Eiben
Robert M. Eiben, MD
Eleanor Anderson
Thomas Balbo
Marcus Brathwaite
Stephanie Brewer
Spencer Cowan
Melissa Jay Craig
Jim Eiben
John Entsminger
Kevin Kelley
Susan Kelley
Bo Kyung Kim
Cameron Kowall
Emma Pavlik
Andrea Peterson
Steve Prokandt
Lauren Sammon
Bruce Taylor
Jon Thompson (T&T Tools)
Tony Trausch
Robert and Susan Zimmer
46 Individual Donors (through Kickstarter) who funded my residency
Also, the Morgan did a really sweet box on their website if you scroll all the way down, showing my completed checklist for the studio. I'm hoping to get back soon!
Thursday, August 19, 2010
R&R (not the military kind)


Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Closing up shop

Monday, August 16, 2010
The days run into each other




Sunday, August 15, 2010
Flooding


Saturday, August 14, 2010
The longest day ever


I'd rather do that kind of thing, one-on-one with good students, than come home late to a demanding inbox. But I guess I have to have it all.
Friday, August 13, 2010
Nothing ever goes as fast as I expect





Thursday, August 12, 2010
Concrete paper




Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Like running with cars

Then I came home and finally got the pictures from my workshop online, and then rushed to work very late. The pulp is already starting to turn in this miserable summer weather, so I tried to pull a bunch of sheets small and thick out on the ramp near the garden to get it dry. But I fear they will stick to the concrete. I shall find out tomorrow. A mosquito bit my neck and then Susan took me out with her husband, John, and Tony to Korea House for a wonderful Korean dinner. Life continues to overflow here.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Am I falling behind? Or just not caught up on sleep?

I got to give Alex and Lindsay a tour of the Morgan and show them my work to distract them while I finished drying hanji. Then we went out for a good Vietnamese dinner and then I drove home and did more errands. There is SO much left to do in the next week and I will do my best to get it all done. I'm behind on uploading pictures, but will get to it...soon, I hope!
Monday, August 09, 2010
I really was too tired to blog

But everything turned out well, I think. It's impossible for me to be objective so maybe someone else should make the call. Each of my students came and found me before leaving to thank me and I felt compelled, of course, b/c I am me, to give away things to each of them: hanji I made during the weekend that came out a little more intact than theirs, an ink stick, an artists' book, some hand-beaten dak, and so on. I got some very helpful suggestions to improve my teaching for the future. I had never thought of it until now: I learned what I'm teaching in Korea, in Korean. I'm trying to teach it in the USA, in English. A lot gets lost in translation, especially if I didn't know the English words to begin with. I explained one to a student yesterday: in jiseung, when my teacher explained how to know when to increase by adding cords, he said that "you feed the children rice when they're hungry."
I also came home to the sweetest card and a chocolate bar from my hosts to congratulate me. It's the same card I see every day at the desk I work on at home, and I had noticed it the first week I was here, b/c it is a quote that Ben would tell me often. They had given it to their youngest son when he graduated high school: "Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you've imagined."
Sunday, August 08, 2010
I know, go to sleep already
Saturday, August 07, 2010
I was only human today




So I'm off to bed.
Friday, August 06, 2010
I can't remember anything anymore





Thursday, August 05, 2010
Heavy air





I lucked out tonight, too: Tony was going to take me to Little Italy for dinner, but we took a detour first to the Art Museum. I had never been, but tonight happened to be a night they were open late. We even saw Marjorie, another board member and education director at the museum, giving a tour. They have a great collection and I loved seeing art by locals, including a lot of Oberlin faculty. I thought of Melissa, too, when I saw a piece by Masumi Hayashi. There are so many circles being traced and closed here in Cleveland.
Wednesday, August 04, 2010
Back to work





Tuesday, August 03, 2010
Emergency stop
I took today off after waking up at 3am and emptying my body of my dinner. I wish I could go for more years w/o vomiting (I think the last time was last year in Korea) but I'm also grateful for that body mechanism. I thought it was food poisoning but it might just have been a weird combination of wine and food and a too-tired body that did me in. I fought it until after I talked to Andrea, Ben, and Velma. Velma gave me permission to not go to work and I stayed in bed to nap and read. One more book done, a relaxing evening, and a nice dinner w/my hosts. I'm looking forward to sleeping tight.
Monday, August 02, 2010
Tom is the man



We have a ton of work in store for our final five days before I teach, but I have faith that we will be ready. And I'm still happy off of red wine from dinner with Melissa and Cindy, so I'm hoping the good spirits continue for the duration.
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