Expensive socks

Thursday painting class. First 2nd year class since the paint incident last week. Two of my professors were there, asking me what I wanted to do. What was my vision with my painting, where did I want it to go? They asked me to draw using colored pencils the color I was looking for. After a bit of back and forth, I was able to explain to them how I saw that painting, as an exercise, as learning. The japanese style of painting, the layering and the process, it was all new to me, unfamiliar, and before I worry about the specific aesthetics of what I'm doing, I need to understand something of the big picture. This was not going to be my only painting, and I really don't care how it turns out. It felt good when they understood, and they simply made choices for me, mixed up colors, showed me ways of using the brush. That is what I wanted, because I can't fully understand verbal instruction, I wanted demonstration. After work on the background, I mixed up some white and highlighted the leaves. Followed by a lighter green base color. Talked awhile with my classmates while waiting for paint to dry, then I left to go home.

I went into Kyoto, up the Hankyu line to one of the shopping areas. I wanted to get socks, of all things, I needed another pair of hiking socks. From the train I headed north and went through an obvious night-time area with bars and restaurants and clubs. I'm curious if a 'shot-bar' is what it sounds like. I made it to the outdoors store, and anything outdoors oriented in japan is super expensive! I had known this before, because everything is imported, but when the cheapest pair of hiking socks is $20, it really highlights the difference. They also had some rip-resistant hiking pants that were $230! After that I wandered around the area a bit, then back on the train to Nagaokakyo.