Materials

You use the materials you have. Oceanic jewelry is traditionally of shells, wood, fiber and materials from the sea, it's what they had. Pretty simple concept. The Japanese, they had minerals and resources from the mountains, along with the sea. The traditional paints are made from natural pigments and nikawa (glue). They first painted on wood panels, then paper and silks and fabrics. This is little different from tempera painting in Europe before the advancement of oil paints, and that is what Asian art did not have before it was introduced from the outside.

I've been thinking a lot about materials, those I use and those I don't. I've enjoyed working with charcoal on paper, because it's easy, no preparation, it's just the finishing one must worry about. Most painting I've ever done were acrylic, it's easy, straight out of the tube, buy some prepared canvas and you're golden. Here, commodity and technology of material was slower coming. Nihon-ga is on paper, which is prepared beforehand using a dilluted glue solution. I haven't seen pre-stretched canvas anywhere, and while I see students working with oils, they do preparations themselves. Nihon-ga always, always starts with a sketch and a detailed drawing. Care in materials, care in process, one could claim stems directly from so-called 'Asian' mentality, but why not a two way street? European culture embraced technology, embraced commodity, and perhaps lost early some of the reliance on craftsmanship that other parts of the world held on to. Everything evolves and changes. To care for materials makes them more valuable, and valuable materials are more cared for. We are surrounded by cycles like this.