In the Spotlight: Artist and Naturalist Ichiro Kikuta

On Exhibition Right Now !

 

 

 



This is something I need to spread the word about, quickly.

The Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) has his gallery on display.

We went today and have to go back before the month is over.

The folks at OIST were friendly and, gave me permission to take photos.

Well, I didn't bring the lens or, lighting required to do this artwork justice.

And, lucky for them I read the signs that said, "Do Not Touch."

OIST Is Really A Big Place

Scientists kept walking up and down the hallways where I was trying to shoot.

They were busy, I guess.

Trying to do long exposures (over one second) was looking impossible.

When you are a guest, you can't just yell, "Everybody Freeze."

Just when, I thought the moment was right and quit (quietly) cussing, it happened.

Map It Okinawa, tapped me on the shoulder.  I was blocking traffic with my tripod.

Click, went the shutter.  Wait one second.

Behind me, a gentleman, was waiting.  I apologized for blocking the hallway.

He said, "You're RyukyuMike.  Aren't you?"

Uh-oh.

We just met a Vice President.

And, even wearing orange flip-flops, he recognized me !

But, everything turned out alright.

He reads my blog !

Back to the Artist

Ichiro Kikuta is one of those artists, you're lucky to meet once in a lifetime.

It was my pleasure, to have found him in the northern area of Okinawa.

Just, a week ago, we located his studio in the village of Ada.

Ichiro, showed us some of the things he does to handcraft these panels.

The artwork, depicting nature, doesn't get copied from photos.

He goes into the forest with a sketch pad.

Then, sketches what he observes.

From the drawings, he re-creates the scenes as black ink paintings.

Instead of, having to visit the Yanbaru forest, he brings it to you, in all its splendor.

Don't Pass Up on this Opportunity

The exhibition at OIST  lasts through October 31, 2013.

More details available on the OIST Website

For those unable to attend, have a peek at this OIST Video:

 

Every Now and Then Along Comes One of Those Days

It Really Started Sometime Last Night

 

 

 

Whenever that Aki Yokoyama gal comes to town I have to see her perform.

So, I grabbed a camera and did some shooting.



She sings, dances, plays the keyboard and a guitar.


This was the first time I saw her use the drumsticks on a guitar, though.


It makes you wonder.  What will they think of next ?




After the band played their first set, I excused myself.  Had to be up early this morning.


Things have been fairly busy around here and I'm way behind on processing photos.


So, I told the band, I'd have something ready to post on Facebook maybe, next week.




Back in the office, I downloaded the photos and decided to develop a few.



Well, I put a handful of them in an album on Facebook.



Then, locked the place-up and decided I deserved a beer.  And, another one and, some more.



The next thing you know, it was going on 3AM.  So, I went home and crashed.



Before the sun came up, I was having my coffee and ready to go.



Sabani boats were racing and a couple of us cameramen were invited.

We were at the beach early but, somehow, managed to miss our boat.




So, we wound up shooting from the shore.



Cameramen are real flexible people.  After we shot some boat photos a plan materialized.



The credit, all goes to Chris Wilson.



He said, "Lets go to my studio so, you know where it is."



We got to see the place, met his dog, looked at all the studio equipment and, drank some coffee.



The next thing you know, I was putting on all kinds of costumes.



Some sort of character-modeling, I guess you'd call it.



We won't mention what characters, yet, because Chris has to develop all his photos.



Let's just say Chris, Doc Graff and I had a blast in the studio.



It involved a lot of cussing, laughing and sweating, on my part.



When someone asks me to be a character, they are going to get then real deal.





Standby for more.....

Well I Figured Kill Two Birds with One Stone

Stuck in the Office

 

The day started off with a plan that went something like this: Do Office Stuff Today.

In the morning emails I found one where my brother-in-law asked if I was wearing socks with my flip-flops.

So, I answered something like this, "Yup."

Then, I decided to start all the paperwork required to apply for a Foreign Press Card.

That meant I needed a recent mug shot.  So, I figure, kill two birds today.

Why pay another photographer to take your own mug shot ?

Trust me.  I am not a studio photographer and don't really have the desire to ever become one.

There ya go.  Here is how I imagined it should be done.

And, my brother-in-law can see one of my socks.  The other one has a hole in it.  You can't see.

Excuse the mess in the background.  This place is always a work in progress.

The first shot was sort of an experiment. I didn't like it. Can you tell ?

Some adjustments had to be made on the height of the camera and tripod.

See, I don't smile when I'm stuck in the office.

That's OK.  This photo is for official government stuff.  So, I don't need to smile.

The dimensions of

a photo for Foreign Press Cards are different from what I'm used to doing.

So, I'm not sure which of these shots will pass the test.

Maybe, tomorrow I should just pay the five bucks and sit in a Passport Photo Booth.

That way, if the sun comes out I'll have time to go shoot some real birds.

Visit my website for today's Feature Photo