Swim

On Wednesday, I swam 60 laps (3000m, almost 2 miles) in under 2 hours.  The next few days, I was sore from the exercise.

Saturday (yesterday), I swam 66 laps (2 miles) in 2 hours.  I bought/brought a counter to click for each lap.

I think that 2 hours is a while to swim 60-66 laps.

I was muscularly able to do the swim, but it was difficult in a cardiovascular way.  I had to take many breaks to catch my breath, and to cough less.  I coughed most of the time that I swam.

It feels great to swim this distance!  I had thought that I could only do 10 laps.

I plan on working at swimming 66 laps.  I don't want to increase the number of laps until my breathing gets better.

I wish that I could listen to music underwater.

Flower painting 2

Drawing and painting the last flower watercolor was fun, so I wanted to paint another flower watercolor.  This one is not based off of a photograph.

Yesterday morning, I walked to the farmer's market, a 2 minute walk, to buy some flowers.  I chose the ones that had the fewest petals, because I didn't want to paint many petals.  I thought that fewer, larger petals would make it easier to begin to learn paint 3D.

I chose two strands/things of flowers, and one greenery.  I don't know flower-speak.

At home, I positioned the flowers/leaves.  Some parts of the plants were tied to be in a certain position, and I casted a bright light on it (from the left).  Then, I lightly sketched it out (large shapes to details).

After lunch, I put down a base-color/base-coat.  I think that the base-color has two roles: to make it easier for the artist to distinguish what is what (the grey sketch is hard to follow), and to cover for any parts that the artist might later forget to paint.

At night, I painted most of it.

To get a "complicated color" (to make colors look more "artistic"), add any different color to the main-color.
Or, seldom wash the paint-pallet; the older-colors dry up, and the newer-colors mix with some of the random older-colors to get a "complicated color".  I do this so I that don't have to wash the pallet much, and to get more "artistic" colors.
To get a more "natural" color (to tone the main-color down): add a little of the opposite color to the main-color.  Or, add sepia/tan to the main-color.

Things can be added or omitted.  I left out a purple flower in this painting (it was above the bottom pink-flower.

Realistic paintings look more realistic from a distance.  Close-up, this painting looks a bit abstract.

Clear thinking is key.  You have to know where a leaf begins/ends, even if you can't see it, then make it up where the leaf is placed, and remember.

Everything casts a shadow.

Don't outline.

I think that the red-parts were successful, and the rest of it could've been done differently.

I think that the purple-flower petals in both of the red-boxes are the best because of there are shadows.

This week

We're joined here with George Will and Donna Brazile, in This Week, at the round table... 

Wednesday, from noon to night, I was with a few students/friends in Taipei.  We saw a Lego exhibition of lego art by the artist Nathan Sawaya.
See "Popular": http://brickartist.com/category/gallery/
I missed the Salvador Dali exhibition, because I met up late with them, but I'm planning on seeing that gallery.
Later, we took a 90 minute bus-ride to a place, and had lunch at a casual restaurant.  Each dish was 40yuan (aprox. $1.50) for a good serving of rice-porridge or oolong noodles in soup.  I had noodles, and the cook made a vegetarian version for me.

Thursday, I biked about a mile to the English school, that hasn't been used for a few years.  I brought my sketchbook and laptop.  When I got there, I played Turisas (folk/death metal), and drew pictures for about an hour.  I drew 6 pages (I can usually only draw 1-2 pages in a day).  Then I biked back home, and took a break from drawing.  Later that night, I drew another 2.5 pages, listening to Lady Gaga and Britney Spears.  It was mentally tiring to draw.
I found that my drawings while listening to metal looks different than drawings when listening to Gaga/Spears.

Friday was the first time that I met up with 2 high school students to swim at their high school.  They swim from about 7AM-9AM every Wednesday and Friday.  I'm trying to take up this activity because I usually exercise.

Saturday, I finished my flower watercolor.  It took 2 classes, 4 hours total.  It's about 4'x2', and based off of a photograph.  Since I used a photo, I don't think highly of this painting.  I want to get some real flowers and paint them using watercolor.

Yesterday, I visited a Buddhist organization that reuses things, based on the belief that most things can be reused.  It's a recycling and redistribution place, similar to the idea of the Salvation Army.

I found out today that parmansan cheese is not vegetarian.

30 Challenge

The challenge was originally called "The 30 Day Challenge".  It was posted on the facebook MassArt class of 2016 group.  You're suppose to draw one thing everyday for 30 days.  I draw 30 things in 2 days, because I didn't want to wait 30 days.

The 30 Day Challenge

NTU hospital

My family member went to the hospital yesterday morning.  He will be there for a four days to receive heart surgery.  He has not received the surgery yet.
I did not visit him yesterday in Taipei.  This afternoon, at around 4PM, I will go up to visit him.

My sister just left to spend the day visiting a children's clothing shop, to make a DIY fabric doll.  She might go swimming too.

I'm reading a book My Year with Eleanor: A Memoir by Noelle Hancock.  I enjoy it.  The story is about a woman who devotes a year to face at least one fear everyday.

Kaoshung

I visited Kaoshung from Monday through Tuesday, so there were few tourists.  There are some non-Asian people there.

Since we drove down the right side of Taiwan, it was relatively easy to orientate, since the mountains are in the middle of the country, and oceans on the outside.

Car trip to Kaoshung.

I enjoyed looking at the mountains.

Old Japanese-style train station, left from Japan's takeover of Taiwan.

A cafe on a mountain.  We were the only ones there.

The view from the cafe.

My hotel room overlooked "Love River" (translates better in Chinese).

Photo taken from ground-view.

I sketched this view from the 17th floor of our room.

Streetview

This photo was taken 30June.

The word "motorscooter" in Chinese translates to "motor-vehicle/motor-car".  In English, I'm more used to calling them "motorcycles".  I have never seen an American motorcycle in Taiwan.


This view is familiar to me: company signs jutting out, other motoscooter, but this particular picture has few people in it.

There are many inexpensive food places here.  There are so many informal (and formal) sit-down restaurants, and vendors out.  It's basically impossible to go hungry.
Almost every morning (7AM) there are merchants selling super fresh fruits, vegetables, and meats.  The fruits and vegetables and fish might have been picked earlier in the morning, and the chickens are alive in cages.  I think that the farmer's markets are lively; I like them.
An 8 piece vegetarian sushi costs about 4-5$ in Maine, but costs 40yuan (about 1.50$ here).
Cafe's seem to be popular here with 18-30 year old.

I've found that many people here do not wait.  For example, someone is more likely to stay a few moments to hold open a door for you, whereas this doesn't happen (often) in Taiwan.

English school

Second floor classroom.

On 7July I visited the closed-down English school.  It felt strange to be in these rooms that I used to walk into.  The building is mostly empty, except for some stacks of English books.  And, the enclosed garden outside is overrun by plants again (last year, it was cleared, and weed-cloth was laid-down).

Jinguashi

I visited Jinguashi a few days ago.  It's a 2 hour drive from where I'm staying.  It has mountains very close to the ocean.
I took some photos at what used to be a fish farm.  There was some washed up trash, but the rest of the environment was nice.

I'm not sure what my plans are for the rest of this Summer.  I hope to visit the National Palace soon, and I might take some classes in art or dance.  I have a list of places that I hope to visit, so I'm working on that.