Disaster Relief

Earthquake in Chile is devistating. This fact also affect other regions, like Japan. You may think "is this guy stupid? Japan is no where near Chile" but here, there areTsunami attack reports on all eastern shores (some on north and west) of Japanese coasts. There were Tsunami attacks before in History when Chile and other areas had a massive earthquake.
I pray for those who are there and hope everything goes good.

A day ago (I think) I found an very interesting web site. As an artist myself, I was looking for poses I can use as an sample for series of drawing I wanted to do. This website I found contains nude poses, and the photographer is self-taught (which surprised me). If interested, search for Igor Amelkovich. Anyhows, I am amazed by the photographers works and feel like becoming a fan.
March is on the way and I will be 22. I still have a month of free time to work on my art works.
First, I need to finish remaking the shoes for Kimono, and then make new ones. Second, need to finish low tables I have design. Then, finally, I can start the drawing project.
Would things go accordingly to plan? No, but I need to force myself to finish them before school starts.

Work turned in, Junior years grade work

Students attending each Art school must go through exam like other schools but it is not usually paper but what you work on and turn in is an piec(s) of work assigned to you or what you choose as a theme in order to move up a Grade. It is a promotion work to do. Its like a final project to turn in, for example. What I chose (Mine started from October. Each dept. start at different time at KSUA) was color as a theme. I really didnt had any detailed plans to where I want to go or to end up. So I started by studying what color is, color as an concept, RGB vs CMYK color, and difference between western and Eastern color pallet. Since I was lazy and didnt spend much time (also had issues that slowed me down) on it, more spending time on something else; it didnt go far. What happened next was to compare Japanese color pallet and modern scenery to see those color still exist in the very same place where they originated from. I had the result that some didnt exist today where as it did 1000 or 2000 years ago. Reason is that plants changed and the color of leave may of changed when expressed by paint or by dye, fixed to fit the beauty standard or how people saw it and interperited back then. In order to compare them, I collected colors from pictures I took.

So what next after making collections? Well, I made series of idea to use for visual design and city planning. Also I started to make colors I extracted from the sceneries of Kyoto and remade colors from the Japanese color pallet. I thought that the art of dying and textile was the closet aim to deepen the knowledge and feel the cultural definition obtained by combination of certain colors. What could I do with these colors? I pondered and came to a conclusion to go to a traditional things, for example expanding the work of Kimono. What is needed...ah I got it. Shoes.

When people were Kimino or Yukata, shoes are not worn. Just in case of some stupid people reading this; Japanese people do not wear Kimono every day. It is worn on special occasion or what not. Anyhow, traditioally, only nobles and Emperor/Empress wore shoes and others wore sandles. Sandles are cold during cold seasons, and it is more practical to have you feet covered. Also it is not a taboo for ordinary people to wear them. Snow shoes existed only for winter seasons but not usually worn for Street usage. The character for shoes, pointing a traditional one differs from a western one (i.e. what we all wear today, Nike, Reebok, Adidas...etc.) and from this, it is concluded that the meaning and usuage differs.

So I started by researching types of shoes worn backthen, and designed them and making them. This is where the colors I extracted were used after researching what each colors meant and was used culturally. Then what I did next was look for Kimono that fit the consept. The Kimono company that makes then nearby was kind enough to let me borrow them and even help me fit them to my modles and give me a place to shoot pictures. When everything was prepared, it was dark so we had to shoot it inside...

All the pictures were taken inside in a traditional room but it is supposed to be worn outside. This work was displayed on January along with tools I used and with a portfolio I made of this project. It was not popular, rather boring to some people. However, few people gave me a positive feed back. During critique, things were not that positive and other students where not drawn by my attempts. Their interests were at new, modern, and western things. School year ends at March. Febuary is the start of Spring break and for me, this project is not over.

Since this project what I am doing is remaking these shoes for traditional clothe, attempting to use the skills of pattering for Kimono in a new shape, and expanding the traditional clothe more for modern usage and praticality. So, here are some pictures from the project.

ah-wat'a??

Spring is on the way and Valentines day has passed by a long time ago. People are watching the Vancouver Olympics and are hyped up about it...xD
Still, when people ask me "how are things doing in Japan?" I give'em a positice answer, (or try to be) but really inside I am thinking 'life is down the shit drain, like always'. How so? Still to this day, I look back at each day pondering about how I could of made my time worth a while and wondering why the hell did I do that, did I do this, did I do whatever. This is my bad habbit I have always had. I am not that happy with where I am at in life, but do not know where I want to be. Only thing that is clear is that being rich sounds good.
So, new school year starts in Apr., and the School made a stupid deal about the School system. There are alot of major changes that is going to take place. Already, KSUA has stupid rules and administration works and so on, but what I am afraid of is that things are definately gonna get strickter and stupider. I am sooooo fed up of the school and want to go to a better place.
For a long time, I have been planning to study abroad over seas to get out of this mess. The School in Ourense, Spain is a sister school of KSUA. Its been 2 years now that I have made a secret plan to go to Ourense. When I got things together, I finally told the Administration but they tried to stop me, (as I thought) and also gave me very negative responce. This was in October I believe. Only way for me to go is to take absence for a year, wich mean I do not get credit for and have to stay another year while paying the school while on absence. Another way is to go during break. So, the school is very passive about making the environment and the school life better for their enrolling students. But today, however, I have heard a very positive responce from the school in Ourense. For 2 min, I was the MOST HAPPIEST MAN on EARTH and felt normal again.
So tomorrow, I am going to print this mail out and show it to my teacher and staff in charge of Academic service, study abroad program, and Student Service. I will negociate to try to talk them into allowing me to go to Spain without taking absence. To tell the truth, its not gonna happen. I now it and I can say. So why am I doing this? It may be a waste of time but I need to fight this to make myself feel better about myself and atleast make a stand rather than being a kid who whines and mopes around at the possibilities that he didnt fight for or do anything about. By doing this, I wil be leaving examples for later students who will feel the same way. It is going to be my 4rth year at KSUA, and I need to feel normol...feel like I am surrounded by prinson walls, first you are overwhelmed, then you get used to it, and later, the school system and rule set you and you get 'institutionalized' to it. I dont wan to be like that. I already have shit going on in my personal life.
All my logs are not that positive, I know. So here are 2 good things happened to me this week.
Besides the positive responce from Spain, I finally bought an iPod (I've always wanted since it came out)! With all the financial shit going on, its like a miracle. Second thing, I am on break and doing whatever I want in the institution without people getting in my face. People dont usually rely on me or count on me, I am like a invisible man, present but not there. However, group of freshmen who are working on a competition(have done the same competition on my freshmen year) needs my assistance and asked me to help them on the day they will set their work in Maruyama Park located behind the Yasaka Shrine on Shijyo in Kyoto City. I felt like a regular, wise, and good human.
Oh, almost forgot. I am payed 3000 yen a hour to teach English (making better money than a Regular Cabaret Girl's hourly pay!!!), the same place that hired me to design them a Moe-Amulet. I will upload a sample of the Amulet. So, I am going to now make MONEY and save up to go back to Wor'town, that I dreamed of returning some day.
Did I skip things I need to mention? Agh well, some other day. (^o^)v

Sho Kuroda A.K.A. ShoNuff TPG

How can I move the crowd? Well Shoe Kuroda couldn't tell me on one drunken night. But the newest/oldest member of the Them Punks Global set has been putting in work since most of have known him. Having met Sho in middle school I knew the kid was talented in some way but back then I didn't understand how talented he really was. Now as a man attending school in Kyoto, Japan Sho is still putting in work as an original artist and I am glad to include him in our collective of Truly Prolific Geniuses.