Photos from India
This past winter I visited India.
It was an amazing trip with so many different experiences, sights, tastes, unforgettable images and perhaps most of all–wonderful people. All my thanks to Samyukta and Dharini and their families and to all the really great people I met along the way. Here are few photos from my whirlwind trip.
Agra Fort
On the Way to Mysore
Pondicherry
Jodhpur, The Blue City
Mahabalipuram
Monkeys at Agra Fort
At I’timād-ud-Daulah’s Tomb, the “Baby Taj” in Agra
On the train to Udaipur
In Udaipur
In Pushkar
In Bombay
Elephanta Caves
In Hampi
In Hampi
Candolin, Goa
Whew.
At the Show
Had my show. It was a great experience, like no other exhibition I’ve ever had. It was so great to have it at the Aegean Center, amongst my old professors and fellow colleagues. Also, my brother Ken and my sister Mika were able to make it, which really meant a lot. The exhibition felt like the culmination of a a really interesting, exciting and productive time in my life and it was really fantastic to share the moment with so many beloved people in my life. What a great night.
What a crew. From L to R: Mika, John, Jane, Me, Jeff, Liz and Ken"
The Family Videos (Round 2)
Last summer I blogged about how I had barely scratched the surface in the epic project of digitizing my family home videos. For me last summer, it didn’t work out. Now, thankfully, my brother has taken over the helm and he is taking care of the massive endeavor to move all of our analog tapes to a digital format. He has been giving our family updates regarding his progress, and it is simply incredible how much work there is for him to do.
As he digitizes them he’s finding little clips to upload on Youtube to showcase particularly funny, important or peculiar moments from the collection. He’s been sending these to the family for the past few weeks now and as he is working chronologically I’ve been receiving videos starting from the mid 80s to the late 90s, roughly from when I was six years old right on up to around eighteen.
Watching the videos has made me look at my family and myself a bit differently the past few weeks. The videos aren’t just sentimental walks down memory lane, but intense experiences fraught with waves of emotion, from embarassment, surprise, longing to even shame at times. Here are few observations and thoughts I’ve had as I’ve watched these videos:
– I owe a huge debt of gratitude to my father. That he committed to making so many videos through important and dear moments shows how thoughtful and prescient he was, seeing as how much of a treasure it is to have these memories available to us now.
– My family was such a healthy, happy bunch, or at least it looks that way on film. I’m talking in particular during the halcyon New Jersey days when all four of the Shiozawa kids were at home, before anyone went off to college. I’ve seen enough footage of us playing together, doing yard work together, chatting and joking around with one another to realize that my parents really provided for their children in the best way possible, to enable us to be kids and enjoy ourselves.
– My mom is truly the rock of the family. She’s often a presence in the videos as the one arranging and organizing the event that my father is recording — for example, birthdays, meals, getting us through the airport. The videos that I love best of her are the ones that show the moments when she’s just doing her own thing oblivious to the camera like when she’s playing with my cat Dusky when he was a kitten or when she sweetly opens the door wider for Belle, my other cat, even though the door is already wide enough open for her to get through.
– My brother already looks grown up to me in these videos, even though they start when he’s fifteen — he’s tall, he’s built, he’s mature and his voice is absolutely the same as it is now. It’s too bad there isn’t the opportunity to see him in an earlier phase, as truly just a kid. I am the most fortunate in the family in this regard as I’m the youngest in the family and my dad started recording while I was pretty young.
– My oldest sister is such a confident and self-assured individual now, and as we can see in these vids, she was even then. In many clips often she is front and center telling a story, explaining something or just clowning around while the rest of the people in the clip are simply watching her. This is still the case today, I guess I always assumed that it was something that came over time and not something that was innate in her personality.
– My other older sister comes off as very sweet in these videos. She’s always acknowledging my father as he films (which the rest of us don’t do very often) and she is frequently shown helping out my mother and father in some way. She’s much more talkative and outgoing than what I remember as well. I always thought she was shy as a kid, but from what I can tell she doesn’t seem shy at all, she just doesn’t demand to be the center of attention, unlike some people, specifically myself.
– As for me, I can say that I had a very happy, comfortable life growing up. Of course I’ve always known that but it’s something to watch it all now — how lucky and fortunate I was. Watching myself as I get older, in to high school is also much harder to bear than the earlier videos when I’m just an active, excited kid. I can see in the later clips how I become a typical insecure, self-centered teenager filled with big aspirations and perhaps some inflated self-delusions. It’s strange — at the same time it’s heartening and disappointing in a way, to see how much of an average teenager I was.
My brother is putting all of these videos on a huge hard drive and I think ultimately it will become the most important physical object our family posesses. It’s essentially the full record of my family, my wonderful family.
March 28…
… and we move the clock up one hour.
At least here in Greece we did. I think in the States folks moved their clocks up around three weeks ago.
Relevant time differences now: seven hours ahead of New York, eight hours ahead of MN, and still one hour ahead of Paris.
So on this Sunday what did I do when one hour out of the day had simply vanished, disappeared in the name of day light savings time?
I meant to get some bona fide work done — lesson plans for the upcoming week, getting the demonstration paintings ready, locating all the materials I’ll be needed for painting and drawing classes.
Instead I went to a barbeque with some folks and spent most of the afternoon looking out over the bay of Paroikia and enjoying delicious kebabs and chops.
The weather was oh so fine, the view was amazing and everybody was in a laid back, happy mood.
After returning from the bbq I found my father and bro online and caught up with them — I tried to motivate them to play some ping-pong with one another. I would have loved to have watched that online.
Finally, some of the students and I watched The Graduate, one of my favorites. I’m always impressed with Mike Nichols directing, Dustin Hoffman’s acting, Anne Bancroft’s sexiness, and Katherine Ross’ beauty every time I see that movie.
Now I’m off to bed and looking back at a day that was ultimately not too productive. But it was a good day and one that felt nice, long and lazy, although we lost that hour.
A Short One on Teaching, Painting and Not Painting
Another Day in Painting Class
As an art teacher, one is constantly looking at other people’s art of course. In order to be as effective and helpful a teacher I can be I have to think critically about what my students should do about their works. When I’m trying to critique a student’s painting, the only way I’m able to be direct and candid with my criticism is to consider what I would do if the student’s piece was in fact my own piece. Otherwise I start to worry about the student’s feelings and how nice I should be. This used to happen a lot. Instead of getting concise, succinct feedback that they could chew on and run with the students would receive a vague, tepid, circulatory recounting of what I felt worked and looked nice…but, what could just quite possibly, maybe, just, I don’t know…not be working as well. Maybe. Mainly because I didn’t want to hurt their feelings. But I’ve learned (and truthfully, am definitely still learning) that it’s mostly about being clear and straightforward, as hard as the criticism might be, the students are better off for it.
So…after running through studio after studio looking at an assortment of works in progress, processing, deconstructing and assessing them, by the end of the day I’m usually kaput. The last thing I want to do is to think analytically about paintings, any painting. Especially my own paintings in development in my apartment/studio where I return to after class. There, they are all propped up on the easel and against the wall facing me and waiting for attention. At this point in the day, I can’t stand to look at my paintings, they all look goofy to me. All I want to do is sit on the sofa, eat something delicious, maybe have a cold one or a glass of wine, open the laptop and watch some silly scuba diving cat videos on Youtube. And that’s what I tend to do, my own paintings be damned.
Working on Some Things in the B+W Studio
The B+W studio with paintings underway.
And so…
I’m back in Paros, Greece and now painting in the nicest studio I’ve ever painted in. That would be the Aegean Center’s black and white studio (see the tiles) and it’s muy bien — large, climate controlled, well lit and the sounds of lovely birds and Greek radio just outside the door. Also, there’s wifi which is fantastic but a huge distraction of course. I’ll get carried away watching the latest movie trailers and checking Twitter tweets and such…again…and again…
I have to keep busy because I’m preparing an exhibition to be held in mid July. The expo will be themed around Greek mythology appropriately enough, and it’s been very fun putting these paintings together. The stories are so visual and dynamic anyway, I don’t feel that’s there’s much work I have to do coming up with ideas. Any Greek myth evokes countless images — it’s just a matter of putting it down on the canvas. It’s also really interesting looking back at the countless interpretations of Greek myths there have been throughout history, from Greek vase paintings to the Italian Renaissance masters to contemporary realists like Paul Reid. I also have fellow Aegean Center professor (and my former teacher) Jane Pack working on her own interpretation of The Iliad. That has been very cool and inspiring to see.
I have a lot of work to do and I’m trying to get much of it done before the new crop of Aegean Center students arrive in March. Then I’ll be teaching most of the time and the wonderful black and white studio will be turned over to a couple of lucky students. Until then, I’ll be busy working away in the B+W studio. Or Facebooking. Or reading about random junk like how some horrible comic from the ’90s is being developed into a movie…ugh…
I got to get back to work.
2008: Year in Review
Dec. 31 2008 and it's my birthday. Look out '09. (pic by trikno)
.
Yup. We are already well in to 2009 and that’s fantastic. But I figure now is as good a time as any to look back on my year 2008 for what it was, what it wasn’t and everything in between.
JANUARY
I said my goodbyes to my peoples throughout Tokyo. In some cases it was sweet and nice (goodbye Chie, my super cool roommate, as the snow gently falls on top of your umbrella as you wave goodbye from Mejiro train station) in others awkward and forced ( well, we’re not that close but yeah, we’ll keep in touch right? awesome. Email me! ), at times downright painful (lovely French family with their three darling children whom I tutored in English with their confused tears, ‘why are you going Mr. Jun-Pierre?’) and in many other times drunken and inebriated. So it goes. For the most part it was a sad farewell. I knew I would miss Tokyo and the times I had there and I was right.
FEBRUARY
I arrived in Paros. I saw my old profs John Pack, Jane Pack, Jeff Carson and Liz Carson. I was to be working among them as their colleague at the Aegean Center for Fine Arts. It was thrilling and I was nervous as hell. Bewildered too. How was this even happening? I spent much of February with my mind blown.
MARCH
And March too.
APRIL
I’m starting to get the hang of being a teacher, though I still see myself as an imposter amidst my old profs trying to pass as a teacher. The students are very cool however which helps. For the most part they recognize that I’m trying to make do and they give me a pass. For this I am touched and surprised, I feel like I’m pulling a fast one on them or something. As it happens I realize that being a teacher at the school just means to be who I am, not to try too hard for anything else and above all, work hard. And so it goes. It’s the best job I’ve ever had.
MAY
My computer is defunct. No more computer. No hard drive either. Don’t really know how this happened. Never happened with my beloved trusty Ibook. In fact this computer was only a year old. So, the hard drive was lost. As was plenty of work that I had done on it, including photos, art, etc. Why?
1. I poorly backed up to a portable hard drive–all the files inside were empty
2. I also backed everything up to the aforementioned Ibook which was shipped from Tokyo to my Dad’s in the States in a box with other valuables. For some mysterious, tragic reason, the box never arrived.
I received my computer again after three weeks of repair and it was a blank, clean slate. I felt betrayed, abused. We lost a little something there, my computer and me.
On the flip side: I revamped the Aegean Center website and set up its blog. Let the good times roll!
JUNE
The student exhibition. A big success and I’m saying goodbye to the first group of students I had ever taught at the Aegean Center. They had become much more than that over the course of the three months and tears were shed. It was an amazing semester.
Also, another slap of brilliant news across the face–John and Jane asked me to return for the next semester.
JULY
Departed Paros to head off to Paris and then the States. Paris was beautiful and long lunches were eaten on the Pont des Arts. My mother celebrates her birthday at a lovely resto in the 6th arrondisement and afterwords a lot of gelatto is consumed. I’m excited to head back to the States and ambitious to get a lot of work done. As it’s summer and my time off, it’s my only real time to do lots of painting. I’m psyched.
AUGUST
I don’t paint. I watch the Wire. All five seasons. It becomes my favorite tv series of all time (in the drama genre that is. For comedy, see The Office BBC). Season 4 is the best. But I recommend watching Seasons 1, 3 and 4 if you want to get in to it for real. President Obama digs it too. Some of the stuff that happens in the show deals with approaching deep set problems and issues in our society from different angles, out of the box thinking (for example, setting up drug free zone called “Hamsterdam” as an approach to stave off crime in inner-city Baltimore). It’s the type of show that policy makers ought to see and the fact that Obama considers it his favorite happens to be one of many reasons I personally have so much hope in the man.
SEPTEMBER
School starts again and now we’re in Italy. Italy is so beautiful, far more beautiful than I could remember. I sprint acoss Firenze, Venizia, Roma, Lucca, Pisa, Siena and Pistoia moving from cathedral to cathdral, park to square, museum to palazzo looking at the greatest art in the world.
Gozzoli’s frescoes at the Palazzo Medici
Duomo di Siena and it’s inlaid marble floor designs
Gallerie dell’Accademia with too many amazing paintings
Cathedral of San Zaccaria and Bellini’s altarpiece
Basilica of San Giovanni e Paolo and the square outside
Caravaggios in Santa Maria del Popolo in Rome
To name a few. It was a fantastic trip — so fantastic I’m almost oblivious to the economic turmoil that’s going on outside my dreamy day to day. Almost.
OCTOBER
My folks come to visit for a week in Paros. I showed them around the school and the island, the weather was good, the restaurants were still open, my dad gave a great presentation on his work as a perfumer, they sit in on some classes, we went on a boat trip to Anti-Paros — it was a total blast. Also it was nice for me that they could have a glimpse at what I’m doing finally.
NOVEMBER
Classes are well underway and the students are great like the previous semester. A bit different with the number of students enrolled (around 20) and there is a varying level of experience but I see that they are another awesome group of people and along with teaching them, I enjoy the regular weekly events they strictly follow including:
Thursday night: going out to a restaurant
Friday night: student potluck, grill out
Sunday night: movie night
Every once in a while there’s a game night which tends to be intense and heated, there are fisticuffs.
Thanksgiving was also a great time with two Turkeys, a lot of delicious sides and a game of trivia. I found out I’m returning the next semester….
Obama has become our president and I’m on cloud 9.
DECEMBER
Another wonderful semester drew to a close with a highly successful exhibition, reading and concerts (I joined vocal ensemble and became of one of the two male voices in a group of fourteen. I had a good time and learned so much although I now need to get white trousers and shoes for the spring concert, harder said than done). It’s time to say goodbye again, sad as it is but I’m comforted in knowing that many of the students will be returning again in the spring. I set off for Paris knowing I will return to Paros shortly in January to get some paintings done. Before that, I will also go to Minnesota and see my whole family. Although I get a vicious cough and sore throat, the holidays are really good with friends and fam. On Christmas I eat goose for the first time — it’s delicious.
On December 31, I turn 28 among loved ones and friends dancing and singing to the New Year.
2008 — unforgettable year.
My Brother Cleans Up Nice
April 27th, 2006
Ken had his birthday last week. For a birthday present he got some new threads. A pink shirt was forced on him and he had no choice but to accept it. It looks pretty good.
The man rarely buys clothes for himself and his closet has it’s fill of apparel bought in the 1980s. Part of it is Ken doesn’t like to shop, and another part of it is the constant upkeep that goes into being a good dresser. It takes time, money and work, and in Ken’s eyes it’s shallow to spend all that on clothes. I understand his point of view, but a limit has to be drawn somewhere, and for me that limit was my brother’s windbreaker rag of a spring jacket. It apparently keeps the rain away, but it looks like it’s been used to soak up dirty water in Ken’s gutters for the past year. So the “2006 Ken’s Birthday Fresh Wardrobe Fund” was created amongst my family. With cash and an annoyingly insistent brother forced upon him, there was no more excuses for Ken and his circa 1995 cordoruoy pants–we were going shopping.
We ran around Tokyo hitting Ebisu, Harajuku, Omotesando, Shibuya, and Roppongi. We were jogging from designer boutiques to big and tall stores, from thrift shops to department stores. Cash flying left and right, the staff at Hugo Boss couldn’t keep up with us. More frustrating however, was that the sizes in these stores couldn’t keep up with Ken’s build. Tokyo isn’t the best place for tall men to shop. Ken claims he’s 6′2″, but he’s a tall 6′2″. I always reckoned he was 6′4″. Yet nothing would stop us. All over Tokyo, Ken tried on shirt after shirt, pants after pants, jacket after jacket. He’d step out of the fitting room–’no way,’ I’d shake my head–then he’d go back in and try out another jacket. “What about this one?” Nodding, I’d give the thumbs up. All we needed was some deep house music to accompany us throughout the adventure. It was pretty much the scene from every tv show where the nerdy girl gets a makeover.
So Ken’s got a new wardrobe. He looked really sharp at his birthday party. I realize of course that this will be the last clothes he buys until 2013.