Collages
Materials: Photographs, flowers, reflective origami paper, and ribbon on canvas.
Collage by RJM
This is a collage of photos, one taken in Haney BC pre-war, one in the internment camp and two in the Cariboo. My family had a strawberry farm in Haney until war broke out and we were removed to the Kootenays. We lived in Lemon Creek in the Slocan Valley for four years, then my father moved the family to Japan in 1946. Japan was not a very good place after the war. In my early 20’s I came back [to Canada], got married and lived in the Cariboo.
There are roads around 70 Mile House named after the Komori family because we had a sawmill business. Logging and sawmilling were open to Japanese Canadians and there were several operations throughout BC. The Komori’s started their business with a portable saw and built their own roads to get the logs to the sawmill.
And there’s my kids Eddie and Lucy, my family, in the forest, mori no naka.
Materials: Photographs, flowers, reflective origami paper, and ribbon on canvas.
Collage by Kay and Lucy
This piece is about my favourite aunt, Toshiko Katie Shishido, to send her loving wishes. She was 99 years old and had Alzheimer’s—a beautiful lady, but towards the end, her face was changing. I lived at her place in Toronto for two years when I was going to school, and observed all the problems she was having. She couldn’t sleep at night. She was always working, always busy, didn’t hardly rest. She got married in Canada and had her first son in Canada. Her daughter, my cousin who is the same age as me, was born in Japan. My cousin visited her mother every day for as long as she could before the restrictions. Now she’s lost her parents, her only brother, and her daughter. She’s not in a very good place, and I’m hoping this might help her overcome.
Materials: Charcoal ink, calligraphy paper, and patterned paper on canvas.
Calligraphy by Yukimi and Cathy
When I was in grade 7, I learned calligraphy for about a year, but I haven’t done it since. But since coming here, I’ve had the opportunity to borrow charcoal ink and write. I’m really enjoying it.
When a child is born, everyone in the family always celebrates the new life and the name of the child. It’s the family’s pride. And because the child is named this way, they are always cared for by the family. And then, this child will pass on the family’s name, and that’s celebrated in Japan. To raise a child well. So, parents name their child like “Yukimi” and treasure their happiness through their name. It’s very important.
日本で習字を1年グレード7ときにならっていましたけど、それ以降はもう全然。 だけど, ここ来てから初めてここの墨から借りて書くようになったの。こういうものを書くのが大好きです。
子供が生まれたら必ず子供の名前をみんなでファミリーがパーティーを開いて、誕生を祝うんです。 ファミリーの名誉なんです。こういう名前をつけたから、ずーっと親戚 大事に育てて。そしてその子がファミリーのネームを広めてくれることを日本は喜ぶの。立派な子に育てる。親御さんがこの 「幸美」のねハピネスで、これがファミリーの ネームを広げてくれるいい子に育つっていうことをとても大事にする。
Paintings with Sponges by the group
Our next activity was sponge painting. After each minute, we passed the canvas to the next person and quickly added a bit of paint. As one of our artists said, this activity worked well “because it gets you out of your head.” If you try this activity at home, we highly recommend wearing an apron!
Materials: canvas, acrylic paint, sponges, and a timer
次は皆様でスポンジでペイントをしました。１分ごとにキャンバスを右側の方へ回し、少しずつペイントを足してきました。1人の参加者様は、「考えすぎずにできる」と言いました。自宅でこのアクティビティをやってみる方は、エプロンをお勧めします！
材料：キャンバス、アクリルペイント、スポンジ、時計（タイマー）
Smiley, Frowny, and Scary Peas! by the group
When we first gathered at the art-making workshop, we had two sculptures of peas made by Hiro’s grandma in Japan. Although they were initially brought to the workshop as paper weights, they soon inspired our first activity: sculpting peas! Even with the same materials, everyone’s finished product looked so different.
Materials: Paper clay and water colour
ひろの日本に住んでいるおばあちゃんが陶芸で作った豆のお飾りを参考にして作りました。同じ材料なのに一人一人違う作品ができて、とても楽しかったです！
材料：紙粘土と水絵具。
