me an electric blanket. That worked great. I also had Kerosene heater, but they are problematic. They only radiate a few feet; you must keep a window open. Did I mention it was zero de- grees? The funny thing is that you get used to the cold once you have thermal underwear and a heating blanket. Once I figured that out, I had both studios at the artist residency until midnight, and I used them the whole day. My ten days were like twenty at the rate I was going. What I learned is that woodblock printing is not for me. I like carving wood, but I wouldn't say I like the printing results or losing control. The whole exercise needs to be faster for my modern techniques. I can create millions of colors on my iPad Pro and print them exquisitely with perfect graduations and more. I even coined a term for this: Chromatic Fusionism. The science of art mixed with humanity. Because I was in the region, I was also offered a trip to Thailand, specifically to Pai. Pai is 762, which curves up the mountain from Chaing Mai in the country's northwest corner. Pai is a terrific place with young Europeans playing music and living large for little. One of the highlights was the Florida-Wakaya- ma Cultural Alliance. We met top people in the association, had a fine lunch, and did a ceramic workshop with the vice president. We will be forever grateful for that event. At the end of my trip, I wanted an art show; instead, I was allowed to spend time with a high school class. I also loved Tokyo and spending an afternoon with the Urban Sketchers. That group is so ded- icated they are drawing and constantly making friendships.
I turn 65 years old this year. For my birthday I was given a card written in Japanese. I could not read it; Google Translate could. It said You Go To Japan! I was floored. Diane would come with me for two weeks to help get me started, and Jason, my son, and his wife would join us during the first two weeks. Diane could not go, so it was just Jason, Anna, and I for two weeks. Jason was in charge. He kept us very busy. We must have walked 20,000 plus steps daily: walking tours, Subways, constant walking. Near the end of two weeks, we went to a Chinese foot massage. That fixed everything! The only thing I planned for my trip was an art- ist residency in Woodblock Printing. The rest of the trip, I had no plans, no hotels, no planning or assistance. I was going to figure things out on my own. It worked out well except for Yamanashi Dis- trict, Kofu. I choose a hotel on a main road far from the city center. I fixed that the next day, moving downtown. I chose this place because it said I would get access to Mount Fuji. What I was looking for was to paint the mountain. I need my perspective. Kofu is still far from Fuji. I had to take a bus. What I didn't expect was how crowded it was. Crazy! Plus, worse, it turns out the city is depressed. 80% of the stores never open. Japan is overrun with people, and this zone is depressed. I made the best of it. I spent a few days at the Kofu Takade Shrine. It was perfect for painting, un- crowded with lots of traditional elements. The other thing I should have prepared for was the traditional Japanese house at the woodblock residency in Karuizawa. It was much colder, located about 1 mile from a ski resort. I didn't know that traditional homes have no insulation and no heat! It was just about 0 Celsius or 32 degrees Fahrenheit. It was freezing! I went to bed that night with all my clothing and jackets. It was still tricky. The next day, I planned to get a proper sleeping bag or a hotel. The school gave
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