practice pastel painting

I'm sorry I couldn't update for a week since I wasn't in a good condition. I almost recovered!
May is my birthday month. So many things are happening and changing practically and mentally in the birthday month. This sickness is something like great purification to me. I couldn't do anything and slept all day. Now I'm refreshed and start again!

Some say the true start of the year is from our birthday practically. Considering that fact, we have 3 chances to start again like the New Year, the lunar New Year and the birthday. Please use these 3 opportunities to refresh yourself and reconsider your life!

It was raining for a few days and it was hot and sunny like summer today. The weather is changeable now which is unusual.

Today I practiced painting pastel. The last lesson will be the day after tomorrow.
I had homework which was message painting for my classmates and Mother.
The below ones are for my classmates.

The message of the herat pastel painting is to listen to your heart which knows all the answers and takes you out to the colorful worlds. The classmate I like to give this to wants to change her career.

The other one is because sky, wind and earth are all connected wherever you are abundance pours over you. The other classmate used to live in Thailand and moves to US next. She worries because she can't  speak English.

So I wanted to encourage both of them and painted them!

Since last weekend was Mother's Day, I painted this for Mother. Actually my mother is not young like this.
But it's OK, Maybe I depicted a good part of my mother. After I showed this to my teacher, I'll present this to Mother.

This is the last one for me. I wanted to paint a rose but I couldn't... The rose changed into heart. I like it!
At next lesson, I'll ask my teacher how to paint roses. I want to improve a lot!!

Hama-rikyu Garden

On the Constitutional Day(May 3rd), I went to Hama-rikyu garden with my friend. Hama-rikyu garden is one of my favorite gardens in Tokyo. Throughout the year, we can enjoy beautiful flowers like rape blossoms, peonies and cherry blossoms.

I know wisterias are beautiful right now so I decided to come here!

They are beautiful! The best timing to see wisterias is difficult to be predicted. They were just before the full bloom on that day.

Azaleas started to bloom. Azaleas season last for a while. There are also a variety of trees in this garden like pine, maple and ginkgo trees.

This is 300-year old pine tree planted by the 6th Tokugawa Shogun. It is one giant pine tree!

The root originates from outside of the garden! Big Bonsai!!
The garden was originally owned by the Tokugawa Family(shogun's family) and had two duck-hunting sites. Later, it became a Detached Palace for the Imperial family. Then in 1945, the Imperial family gave the garden to the City of Tokyo and it became open to the public.

The water of the pond is from Tokyo bay which is located just by the garden.  It is a great example of mixture of a typical Japanese-style garden and modern high rises.

A small pavilion with a green roof on the pond is a tea house. Later we had tasty tea there!

Do you notice something different in the above photo?

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The answer is... the photo is posted upside-down.

You see the reflection on the pond. How perfectly beautiful it is!

It started raining and we went to the tea house. We sat on the red carpet and waited for tea.





Maccha(=powdered green tea) and Japanese sweet shaped like wisteria were served in front of us.

Green tea contains a variety of vitamins and it's good for health.

The shape of the sweet differs depending on the season.  

We enjoyed the Japanese moment!



my friend, Noriko and me





I have known her for 2 years but it was the first time to go out together. 

She is very charming and powerful! We had lots in common.

I enjoyed talking with her. Thank you, Noriko!!

I hope I'll be back to see another beautiful flowers and trees!!

pastel painting

A holiday-studded week called `Golden Week' started!
I'll meet my friends, go to a concert and do some art works.

I went to a pastel painting class. It is a 3-day class and I finished 2 days. The last day will be the 15th.
I love painting! I sketched for a while but drawing by only a pencil was not very fun to me.

I love colors very much! 48 colorful pastels make me very happy. I felt like I went back to my childhood. The above paintings were done by the first day. I learn only basic skill. I'll paint as many paintings as possible until the last lesson.

At the 2nd day, I painted one based on the image of some music.

The music of my image was the one below I introduced on my blog before.
Once I listened to it, I can't forget it.

The left side of the painting depicts the past and the right does the future.
From the psychological view, it explains. I know it so I depicted the painting in that way, expecting the bright future.

But if we put this upside-down, it looks different!
It seems to say although our future is unknown and unseen, our brightness and brilliance can scatter the darkness so trust ourselves and the bright future.