Katherine

I've been learning to paint over the past 5 years, mostly watercolor & gouache, and so I thought this might teach me some more brushwork skills. I also wanted an immersive cultural experience in Japan, and to learn a bit more of the history & language.

I made so many pieces! I was surprised by how much we did in 4 days — I got to do so many practice pieces but also quite a few that I would love to hang up at home. She even picked one piece to mount for me on a scroll, so it looks really nice. But beyond the pieces themselves, I really appreciated the opportunity to spend so much time with Chikako, learning about her & her family & her calligraphy work, and having the meditative experience of doing the calligraphy. It takes a lot of focus, and it's nice to get to have 1:1 instruction in a physical art practice — I haven't had that perhaps ever. It made me want to pursue more opportunities for that, through VAWAA and beyond.