April 10, 2017
JET teacher Teresa Talks about Spring!
Happy spring!
Spring is my absolute favorite season, and I can’t be happier that I can finally put away my heavy winter jacket!
Spring in Japan is all about the cherry blossoms and its ephemeral beauty, so you will see many people taking pictures within the first days of it blooming. Most celebrate the season with hanami, or “flower viewing,” in parks, but I did something different.
I decided to paint my own sakura tree in an event similar to Paint Nite in downtown Tokyo. It was held in an underground cafe/restaurant that gave California vibes. I learned later that the owner is actually from California and most of the workers speak English.
The cafe/restaurant graciously pulled down the blinds while the materials were being set up.
A sample of the artist’s work.
The provided materials to draw a sakura tree.
I am an absolute beginner in painting, but I love creating art. The artist went step by step, teaching the basic skills before letting our own creativity fly.
Below you will see my art’s progress:
Painting the background
Drawing a branch and a couple of clouds to fill up space
Adding a moon to further fill out space
Finally filling out the branch with sakura. I also splashed some paint to make it look like a sakura shower, but it just looks like I accidentally dropped my paint brush on the canvas.
Let’s compare my painting to a real tree! This tree is from Sophia University.
Painting was so much fun that I am determined to go to the next one!