13 - Curves

As many of my friends back home know, I love going to Curves to get my workouts.  So imagine how thrilled I was to find that there is a Curves only a few train stops away from the art Lounge.  I have been trying to get there at least twice a week, and needless to say the experience is worth the trip. 

Curves in Japan is exactly like the Curves in the States – same workout machines, same women on the machines (at least 3 spoke some English since their children moved to the US,) same exact music, same posters, same everything.  Almost.  Here you have to take off your outside shoes, put them in a little cubby and wear house slippers to get to the changing rooms where you put on your workout shoes.  Then when it is time to use the toilet, you get out of your workout shoes and into the “toilet slippers.”  The appropriate shoe or slipper must only touch down in its designated domain.   Needless to say, my first visit was all about the shoes.  Otherwise, I could be in New Jersey.

The friendliness of the staff is very motivating and they were delighted to meet a foreign guest.   They even took my picture and put a poster for my exhibition up on the public notice area.  

I was hoping to get a “Japanese” Curves T-Shirt for my dear friend Prue, but not only did they have the exact same items here as home,  they were going for $100 each!    I already knew that they were charging 3 times as much to be a member in Japan as they do in the states, but this was ridiculous.

So I was happy to learn from an obliging English speaking patron that since they cannot sell items at this location, the “dollars” were actually chits you receive when you do something good, like showing up on a rainy day or working out 3 times a week.  

All in all, it is comforting to have a bit of the familiar in this strange wonderful place although I'm still not sure what kind of business the "Fate Symbol" will be on the floor below:

12 - Eyes Wide Shut

Another busy day at the art Lounge and life is starting to take on a bit of a routine.  So leave it to Liane to shake things up. At our Genesis art class today, we painted the first part of a floral still life with our eyes closed.    It was one of the most freeing experiences I’ve ever had with a paintbrush in hand.  Forget what you see, just paint what your mind’s eye sees and where your hand guides you.    

On opening our eyes we continued the painting, by coaxing  the shape and design of flowers out of the background we had created.  We then each took one of Liane’s cards and compared what we painted to the image on the card and found ways to enhance what we had done with the stylistic and emotional qualities we observed on the card.

I will never encounter a floral still life the same way again.

11 - Walking Seiji to School

Now one of the delights of living with the Wakabayahis’ is getting to play "aunt" to 10 year old Mirai and 5 year old Seiji.    Since I do not have children, I really get a kick out of seeing kids just be kids.  And walking Seiji to school has been a real experience in watching a little boy encounter his world.  It’s kind of like walking a puppy.  Except the puppy actually knows where we are going and I don't have a clue.

We stop ever few minutes to explore something new.  A five minute walk becomes twenty when Seiji is just being Seiji.  I had to trust that eventually we would arrive at our destination:

10 - Cherry Blossom Time

Well the day after my big opening,  I was fried.  The jet lag came back with a vengance and I took it easy that Sunday, taking a “Creative Retreat” art class with Liane, where we did self-portraits in pastels using only touch and no mirrors.  It  was a great way to get out of thinking mode and into a very interior, intuitive space while drawing.   In fact, it seems this whole trip is about the intuitive and re-calibrating my interior reality in such a way as to navigate in a world without language – mostly images, gestures and sounds – in other words, giving my “left brain” a break.  My dear friend Ellen sent me a remarkable video/transcription from a TED conference, that touches on this idea in a very dramatic way: TED | Talks | Jill Bolte Taylor: My stroke of insight (video)

The weather had been pretty rainy and cold since my arrival, but on the Monday following my opening, the sun broke through and Liane and I grabbed Seiji, jumped on the bikes (where for a the first few shaky blocks, I wished I had purchased medical insurance before leaving the States!) and then headed out to a beautiful Olympic Horse Park near her home.  It was great to be surrounded by Japanese gardens and horse paddocks.  But mostly, I was delighted to find that I had not missed Cherry Blossom season after all, despite that fact that we flew in just after peak time.

We culminated that sunny afternoon with a chai tea at the local Starbucks.   And finally, thankfully, I realized that my jet lag had at last faded away.

09 - The Opening of The Intuitive Eye

Saturday night was my art show opening and given how busy I had been the first days of my arrival, by the morning of the show I had yet to hang a single work.   Liane had frames already at the Lounge and I had my mats cut before leaving New York and carried my mats and artwork on the plane.  Getting my collection of favorite collages finally framed and hung  - well this was the fulfillment of a goal I had set for myself while working with Liane’s Genesis program a year ago – to put together my first solo show.   I have been getting juried into plenty of group shows at the Woodstock Artist Association, but to actually have all my pieces shown in one place was an extremely affirming experience.  And to do so in Japan, well I’m in bliss. Here’s a link to a description of the exhibition: Karen St. Pierre exhibitions

That afternoon I zipped around the neighborhood collecting food and flowers for the opening (here’s where the funky Engrish got a bit frustrating,) cleaned up the gallery, ran home to take a bath (yes, I actually found my way there and back!) and  returned just as the first guests began to arrive.   Again I have to thank Liane for encouraging me every step of the way and then providing the means to make it all happen!     From where I stand, Liane is one angel in my life who has more than earned her wings!

 Here's a glimpse of what was a lovely, lovely evening:

08 - Collage Sensei

It seemed I had only just arrived when I found myself  presenting my first collage workshop.  I created the “Intuitive Eye Collage Workshops” to serve as a companion program to my exhibition and to complement the work that Liane has been doing with intuitive art at the Lounge.  Check out my website for a description: KSP workshops

My first class was on Friday April 11.   I spent that morning before class  scouring the neighborhood looking for collage material and there was plenty to be had with all the hand-out materials everywhere.   The real find though was a used book shop a few doors down the Nodai-dori with used Japanese photography magazines and museum catalogs that were utterly amazing.  I spent about $10 for piles of great material.  I am in collage heaven here!

The evening workshop was great and I was so delighted to have a full house – Liane really came through in gathering in students and I was extremely grateful.   Aki was a trooper and translated everything I said to my very attentive student-artists.  I tried to keep the class simple, focusing on just a few ideas with composition and color and the results were just wonderful.  I didn't realize how much I enjoyed teaching.  Here are some shots of the class and their creations:

07 - The Genesis art Lounge

So how exactly did I find myself here, holding my first solo art show, teaching collage workshops, taking Liane’s “art through intuition” Genesis classes and generally having a great time? 

Well, Liane has launched a rather remarkable art venture and has flown me here to help her get things to the next level business-wise. 

The Genesis art Lounge is the culmination of a dream she has been nurturing for almost a decade.  A sunny café / art studio where anyone can come to nurture their creativity and intuition by making art.   To that end, Liane has created a remarkable series of classes based on her new book and deck of cards called “The Genesis Way.”  I have seen the grateful reactions of students releasing creative blocks while doing her program.  That alone makes it worth every effort to help it all run as smoothly as possible.

So here I am helping her edit her book, holding production meetings, creating the summer program calendar, prepping new marketing material and shop displays, launching new websites and generally helping to organize this very busy space. 

Right now you can visit her website – www.genesiscards.com – to see what I am starting with.  Within the next two weeks (if the gods are smiling) we’ll be launching www.genesisartlounge.com and revising genesiscards.com to coincide with the publication of her beautiful new boxed card and book set.

Here’s a shot of Liane with Tamaka-san, the VERY patient, “never say die” printer as we review the color proofs for her new book.