1997: My Old House

December 12, 1997

Athens, GA

November Kyoto Window View

In the distance the tall trees of Tadasu no Mori show tinges of fall color that float over the roof tops. Above the leaves the intensely blue sky is clear of clouds. Tall trees are unusual in a residential area but these are in an ancient forest that is part of the 8^th Century Shimogamo Shrine that dominates and gives its name to the neighborhood. Closer, in the middle ground, is an old kura (storage house) with its pure white walls and triangular gable roof topped by a grey decorative roof tile. A single small window with a shallow eave and thick shutter breaks the pristine surface and provides changing shadows throughout the day. The thick protective mud walls of the kura are suggested by the deep-set window opening and resulting dark shadow. The foreground is dominated by the branches of a gnarled pine that grows from the center of the garden below. The dark green needles and the black bark stand out in strong contrast to the pure white wall of the kura beyond. On either side of the kura, grey kawara (roof tiles) of my house and the neighboring roofs can be glimpsed. This whole scene is framed by the large grid of the windows through which I gaze. This view, from my second-floor studio, forms a perfect microcosm of the visual world that I have expressed in my work for years. Now I live with a view of that world every day I am in Kyoto.

In January, I was in a two-person exhibition with Junco Pollack, ”Reflections / Visions Precious Metals in Textiles” at the School of Art and Design Gallery at Georgia State University in Atlanta. Although we both work with metal leaf, the work is very different but, was effective shown in the same space. I was really pleased with the installation with its perfect lighting — which for me is minimal. Also in January, I installed “Fields of Indigo and White: The Shibori Kimono of Japan” in Anderson, SC. It was the same show that I curated for the Georgia Museum of Art some years ago. It had a good reception by viewers there.

September was also a month for shows that included my work. Here in Athens, there was an exhibition of faculty work at the Georgia Museum of Art where I hung 7 works from the “Endangered Cities” series (in their new mounting/framing) that I exhibited last year in Kyoto and Tokyo. Later in the month I was in a three-person show (artists from Georgia), “Fiberworks”, at the Sarratt Gallery at Vanderbilt University. A very nice color catalog was published for that show. Unfortunately, I was in Japan and did not see the exhibition.

In mid-September I headed back to my second and spiritual home in Kyoto. Last fall just before leaving Kyoto I had settled into a new rental location (a 100-year-old house). I had been busy cleaning and fixing and had just found the perfect person to share the house before departing. I felt it was a great find, but after living and working there for two months this fall I KNOW is. It has been my dream and hope all the years I have lived in Kyoto to find this kind of house in such an ideal location. Now I have it! The house IS old and has all the problems of old houses that are particularly troublesome in the cold winter (when I am not there).

This fall was perfect — I don’t recall a more perfect time — with warm sunshine and little of the usual cold rain. Both the first and second floors are spacious with plenty of room for living and studio. Of course, it has tatami mats, natural wood and plaster with shoji screens AND a super garden that I have devoted a good deal of time to. The basic plant materials were excellent with the necessary open spaces where I have created a gently curving “River of Stones” (Ishi-gawa) and a broad expanse of gravel at the rear with steppingstones. Most of the largest stones were already in the space but I carried many loads of rocks for the “river” in a back-pack from the nearby river bank. I have gathered various mosses and moved ferns (five varieties) around, but the rest of plants were fine where they were after a little pruning. Now all I need is about two years for the ivy I planted to cover the corrugated metal back fence and provide a green backdrop for the view of the garden from my living room and egawa (veranda).

Being in the studio on the second floor overlooking the garden is like a vision that I described at the beginning of this letter. It is a perfect place to work with views of my past, present and future (?) and an abundance of light and space. I completed a group of-small works to compliment my Bangkok series which I will show in April. Then I began the first of works from photos I took in Malaysia printed in “heavy” metal on intensely colored traditional sarong fabric. This work is not understated. I was able to complete the printing of two large works in this series. In all cases, I did only the printing in Kyoto so I could pack them easily in my suitcase and then mount them here in Athens. “Suitcase Art” is what I am into now.

I saw friends, went to exhibitions, had a few parties, and enjoyed a delightful visit of a friend from Pusan. Daily walks in the shrine grounds and/or bike rides along the two rivers that converge near my house added to my complete enjoyment of Shimogamo. I also went to lots of flea markets where I was able to assemble a collection of meisen kimono in the “Taisho Mode” (1912-1926). They tend to be bright and bold but have other characteristics as well. All I have are in a type of kasuri (ikat) dyeing technique and will make good additions to our study collection at UGA. The two months went by too quickly, but they were extremely productive and pleasurable. I think it is known as “quality time”.

Mother and I reunited in Georgia in mid-November, settled in briefly and then were off to Sea Pines Plantation on Hilton Head Island, SC for Thanksgiving. Page, Jeanne and Lee have been there many times and arranged for a condo for us overlooking the picturesque Harbour Town, while they had a house near the beach. We had a grand time in the woodsy, natural, controlled environment (NO neon) with ancient live oaks draped in Spanish moss, long needle Southern pines and palmettos everywhere. Bike trails abound and the hard packed beaches are perfect for riding as well. The weather was mostly perfect for the first Thanksgiving I have spent at home in 15 years!

Post-Thanksgiving Mother and I traveled to nearby Savannah where we drank in early Georgia history and delighted in the additional gossip we gleaned from the guide of the Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil “Book Tour”. Having read the book, seen the movie opening day in Athens and the A&E special on television a few nights before gave a unique flavor to the visit. I spent early morning hours on foot cruising down Bull Street, around the Squares and circling Mercer House. I later took Mother motoring (that’s what you do in Savannah), around the Squares stopping at Clary’s (immortalized in Midnight) for a REAL southern breakfast — grits, biscuits and gravy, greasy sausage — the works!

Since we were on the coast and not far away, we headed north to Charleston to partake of its special flavor — and it is SPECIAL. The Market area, the Historic District and Charleston seafood were great to experience again. I was especially inspired by an exhibition at the Gibbes Museum of Art titled “The Poetry of Place” featuring late 18th and early 19th Century miniature South Carolina landscape paintings. Sunset on High Battery was perfection, framed by the live oaks and palmettos. My early morning walk through the District was a delight with greetings from friendly folks out at the same hour. Later I toured Mother along the main streets and the cobble stone ones by car. You see, my topophilia is not limited to Asia.

Well, now we are back in Athens getting “Christmas-ed up” inside and outside the house. We have plans to attend several Christmas concerts and “A Chorus Line” in the next week. Page, Jeanne and Lee will come over to celebrate Christmas early here and we will be in Atlanta with them on Christmas Day and for New Years.

We wish you all the joy for this special season and peace, happiness, and health in the New Year of the Tiger——grrrrr!