Bitter Sweet July

The past 6 months have been a complicated whirlwind of farewells, preparations and teaching because come end of July I'll be saying goodbye to Japan and moving back to Cape Town, South Africa. I've enjoyed teaching English in Japan on the JET programme but after three years, it's time to move on to new goals and an exciting new chapter.

Between all the preparations and teaching this past week, I managed to get my hands on my watercolours again to paint a cup of tea which belongs to one of my favourite teachers. We both love art and I've enjoyed our friendship, sharing interesting teas and treats with each other. It makes a bitter sweet goodbye present.

30 Days of Watercolour - Day 27

Day 27 - Hiroshima Carp Baseball Cap

Baseball is a big sport in Japan and Hiroshima loves their Carp baseball team. Today I painted my Carp baseball cap.

Materials used:
Holbein artists watercolours and masking fluid.
Wirgman 350g/m², Orion original watercolour paper.
Holbein Para Resable 350R brush series.

30 Days of Watercolour - Day 7

Day 7 - Origami Paper Crane

Yesterday on August 6th, marked the 71st anniversary of the atomic bombing.

Living in Hiroshima and seeing the A-bomb dome regularly can really put things into perspective. In the peace park near the A-bomb dome there is a statue of Sasaki Sadako. Paper cranes from all over the world are placed in showcases next to her. They are place there to remember the tragedy and represent peace. Today I painted a paper crane.


Materials used:
Holbein artists watercolours.
Wirgman 350g/m², Orion original watercolour paper.
Holbein Para Resable brush series.

June, a Month of Months

The rainy season is in full swing and with all that rain and humidity I find myself spending more time at home, happily painting.

I've decided to start a personal project, an illustrated calendar full of things that make my life in Hiroshima a happy one. For this calendar, each month will have a dedicated illustration of a unique object that surrounds me in my everyday life. It's going to take me a while to decide on the project name, but currently the working title is either Hiroshima Life or That Hiroshima Flavor. Below are the illustrations for January and June so far.

The month of June will be dedicated to the intense rainy season, so I've painted water droplets on paper.

The month of January belongs to the quirkiest Japanese object, the daruma doll. These dolls are the ultimate way to reach your goals creatively. It's perfect for goal orientated folks and just looks great on your desk.


I also found it important to paint the following illustrations but I have yet to decide what to do with them.

Edamame is my favorite health snack, its so delicious and healthy even it's colour is just the loveliest green.

 

Oh, and you can never go wrong with chocolate ice cream. ^___^