Images from Nebuta Festival
More images of Japan, the floats from the Nebuta Festival which were displayed in a large warehouse. To get the feel of the parade that happens annually in August, check out this YouTube video. 5:08 min long.
While i was in Morioka, Japan, i went to an art store to see what sort of products are sold there. I came across these nihonga paints which i have been interested in using. One problem, how do i use them? When i asked with my rudimentary Japanese if i could use water, the store owner said no. I may have to ask my contact person who is the expert in nihonga painting whom i met while in Chicago, Judith Kruger.
Oct 23 additional posting: I heard from Judith and here is her response...
Yes, I am familiar with them. These are Gansai colors. They are pigment (not all natural) mixed with a common binder. It's not that they are imitations, its that they are only one particle size (finely machine ground) and mixed to all the same consistency much the same as pan Western colors so after that there really isn't much of "nihonga" involved. The essence of mixing color from minerals is already done for you. Nihonga is very process driven involving different weights of ground pigments and different glue solutions and recipes so having it premixed is sort of an oxymoron, capiche? Yes, they are watercolors- just add water and paint on watercolor paper. I sometimes take them sketching and on trips as I would a regular water color set. You won't get the luminosity from this- but they are nice none-the-less.
While i was in Morioka, Japan, i went to an art store to see what sort of products are sold there. I came across these nihonga paints which i have been interested in using. One problem, how do i use them? When i asked with my rudimentary Japanese if i could use water, the store owner said no. I may have to ask my contact person who is the expert in nihonga painting whom i met while in Chicago, Judith Kruger.
Oct 23 additional posting: I heard from Judith and here is her response...
Yes, I am familiar with them. These are Gansai colors. They are pigment (not all natural) mixed with a common binder. It's not that they are imitations, its that they are only one particle size (finely machine ground) and mixed to all the same consistency much the same as pan Western colors so after that there really isn't much of "nihonga" involved. The essence of mixing color from minerals is already done for you. Nihonga is very process driven involving different weights of ground pigments and different glue solutions and recipes so having it premixed is sort of an oxymoron, capiche? Yes, they are watercolors- just add water and paint on watercolor paper. I sometimes take them sketching and on trips as I would a regular water color set. You won't get the luminosity from this- but they are nice none-the-less.
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