tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27254015.post103131146802397119..comments2024-03-09T10:15:11.266+13:00Comments on Unravelling: Gumption, Old Age, Parental Influence, or a Long BlatherMeghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01350447919000146804noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27254015.post-48365887202744309412019-07-07T12:11:12.617+12:002019-07-07T12:11:12.617+12:00Meg: Yes, Japanese does a good job of "includ...Meg: Yes, Japanese does a good job of "including" the space-in-between. Or even speaking exclusively of the space while pretending to talk about whatever is in front that is easy to see. I think it's telling the space, our "ma" is called "negative space" in English because for us, that and whatever exists, the thing, is equally valued, or sometimes, (especially in silence of a wise person's cadence, music...) more valued than the thing. It's why our poetry can pack a punch even when short. The only instance I can think of immediately where the "ma" is considered in the West is comedic timing, but I'm sure there's more.<br /><br />Working in woodblock print, for e.g. is very... revealing?? to me, because we're "working on" that space the whole time to reveal in the end what is "left" of the surface, which when inked becomes the thing we want to show/see. Photograph's negatives are the same but I never had the kind of personal/tactile involvement with them, (i.e. I didn't "make" those shapes, only printed byproducts?? in a dark and stinky space.)<br /><br />I'm still not good at looking at the spaces when presented with a painting or print as all my art education was done in the West but I get a hint of it looking at Lautrec of all people. I think one needs quiet and composure, as a person, to see the space, but like most thing, it must be possible to train oneself?Meghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01350447919000146804noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27254015.post-6515802164044296802019-07-07T12:10:17.155+12:002019-07-07T12:10:17.155+12:00Maureen: You're right. I always encourage peop...Maureen: You're right. I always encourage people to come back on a quiet day to really be able to appreciate the art. I get exhausted at openings.Meghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01350447919000146804noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27254015.post-3010676030563903182019-07-07T12:09:37.290+12:002019-07-07T12:09:37.290+12:00Meg: Ah, this is why I don't do openings. One ...Meg: Ah, this is why I don't do openings. One can never see the pieces properly. Alcohol doesn't always go well with proper viewing, either.Meghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01350447919000146804noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27254015.post-54597156817455159752019-07-07T12:09:06.806+12:002019-07-07T12:09:06.806+12:00Maureen: It's a subtle difference between insi...Maureen: It's a subtle difference between insincerity and small talk for the sake of small talk. At art openings, there is alot of chit chat going on. Schmoozing one could say. Some of it is sincere, and some is just talk to fill in the spaces. Personally I like alot of white space in my compositions -- whether those are on paper, canvas or measured in human bodies and human voices at an opening. Anyway, thanks for the clarity. Japanese language has so many more subtle variations than English does. I love learning about Japanese phrases because it opens my mind to other ways of thinking.Meghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01350447919000146804noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27254015.post-62333759194714230032019-07-07T12:08:36.434+12:002019-07-07T12:08:36.434+12:00Meg: I'm going to say no to kuchi-saki=chit ch...Meg: I'm going to say no to kuchi-saki=chit chat. While the former certainly could describe the latter, it connotes insincerity on the speaker's part, while I take it chit chat is neutral? Gee, you ask an interesting question!!Meghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01350447919000146804noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27254015.post-72540423723256256372019-07-07T12:08:02.835+12:002019-07-07T12:08:02.835+12:00Maureen: Fascinating, Meg. Can kuchi-saki be used ...Maureen: Fascinating, Meg. Can kuchi-saki be used to describe the kind of small talk at a party? Or when one runs into an acquaintance? Something we call chit chat?Meghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01350447919000146804noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27254015.post-83521916848672203952019-07-07T12:07:21.659+12:002019-07-07T12:07:21.659+12:00I'd like to keep for the record another conver...I'd like to keep for the record another conversation I'm having with Maureen on Facebook for my record here. <br />Meghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01350447919000146804noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27254015.post-7584270773014420982019-07-07T11:05:25.617+12:002019-07-07T11:05:25.617+12:00You've known me for coming up 42 years and wor...You've known me for coming up 42 years and words have always spilled out of me, often without my monitoring or even realizing, other times just to fill the space. I'm finally and belatedly appreciating the unsaid. I'd also love to read what you write. Maybe a day set aside for that in Feb?? <br />Meghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01350447919000146804noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27254015.post-18937120351314918872019-07-07T11:02:22.789+12:002019-07-07T11:02:22.789+12:00Thank you, Maureen. It's interesting how diffe...Thank you, Maureen. It's interesting how different people think, I seem to do it when I write, in the "first novel" style where everything is laid out, and tighten things up as I edit. I do like the unsaid/unsayable in visual arts, though, like your white space. I came late to the knowledge that not everything can be described in words, at least not accurately, although Japanese does a better job (not) describing those things. It's interesting to observe one's own change of perspective as one ages, by which I mean, accumulate different experiences. Meghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01350447919000146804noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27254015.post-91853621691911635042019-07-07T07:26:18.060+12:002019-07-07T07:26:18.060+12:00This is a beautiful piece Meg! You give us both a ...This is a beautiful piece Meg! You give us both a vivid specific picture and plenty of ideas to think about in a wider sense. Shelve writing? I think not!!! Thanks for sharing.Starry29https://www.blogger.com/profile/01631169912768652589noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27254015.post-78231060380163338312019-07-07T03:56:44.373+12:002019-07-07T03:56:44.373+12:00Gawd I love your writing, Meg. You haven’t “shelve...Gawd I love your writing, Meg. You haven’t “shelved it!” You inspire me, fascinate me and touch me. I feel a kinship with you when I read the first half of this blog post. And I empathize with you when I read the rest, about your relationship with your mom and dad. Thanks always, for writing honestly. Maureenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09967323387645271468noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27254015.post-13597098725272937912019-07-06T17:28:44.304+12:002019-07-06T17:28:44.304+12:00Crikey, this has been an epiphany of sorts. I knew...Crikey, this has been an epiphany of sorts. I knew blogging was therapeutic at time, but it's been a while since I came fact to face with it. <br /><br />I must add that as a parent, Mom talked the talk about practicing, about the % of talent vs effort etc. The thing I remember well is about "akinai" - it's a homoephone, one word meaning "business", another "to not tire of". Mom's interpretation was, success is more likely to come if you don't get bored and stick with your endeavors. Meghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01350447919000146804noreply@blogger.com