2015: Hashimoto

Fall 2015
Kyoto

Late arrival via Delta/Peach Air/MK van and taxi @ 10:00pm to weed-overgrown front garden path.  The house has been empty with no one to tend to essentials.  My first couple of days were spent mostly at home unpacking and cleaning up after a host of mice that must have had a ball in my absence.  These days were mostly rainy so I made just essential forays to replenish my larder (I love that word: larder).

By day three with clearing skies I was ready to venture forth at the urging of dear friend of 30+ years, Kiyo, to dive into the Kyoto Art Scene.  I made an early visit to (my) GalleryGallery to see owner and friend Keiko, gift her some USA sweets and view the current shows:  a large freely hanging multi-colored fabric “cloud” embellished with fine amusing line work and small hovering airplanes, whilst in the small gallery a collection of ‘neck wear’ ranging from fine and delicate to fulsome and fashionable all employing cord made by machine stitching over rag strips plus ‘exposed’ rag as well.

I had lunch with Kiyo at a favorite and funky (lots of shouted welcomes and orders) seafood restaurant. I had the most luscious looking and tasty donburi with delicious seafoods and vegetables over rice and small side dishes of more veggies plus miso soup.  Oishikata!  So tasty!

Then off by bus to Hashimoto Garden and Museum near the Silver Temple/Pavilion.  I had been to this private garden before for a macha (ceremonial green tea) event.  I had, however, forgotten how wondrous the garden was with its several small teahouse, water feature with huge golden koi, gravel walks, velvety moss and stone bridges.  Plus the 2 of us were the only people there.  Also new to me was the museum, which was well integrated into this traditional environment.  The exhibit featured work by NYC artist, Robert Kushner, who is strongly influenced by Japanese Rimpa painting focusing on flowers.  In the large pace of an original building he installed floor-to-ceiling panels of translucent fabric painted with sumi ink images of flowers that waved and fluttered in the breeze that wafted through the room.  In the new museum building he showed framed flower paintings employing marbled grounds, palladium leaf and acrylic.  The view from this second floor gallery of the nearby mountains was spectacular!  What a memorable Kyoto Day!