Tatsuya Soutome was among the greeting party that met me upon my arrival to Sano-shi. Immediately, I was struck by his appearance and thought, ‘A good face to paint.’ As events unfolded, the opportunity soon arrived to do just that. He was the first person to paint on this trip.
Tatsuya posed at a school where Jason teaches. A group of Jason’s students attended the demonstration. As I am learning about Japan, people here have, on the whole, been very hospitable and generous. Today was no exception. All the women in the class prepared a fantastic box lunch.
Immediately after the luncheon, we got to work. The lighting for the painting was just about perfect. Tatsuya turned out to be a great model and held the pose in absolute stillness. The images from the session will explain better than my words:
Preparing:
The start:
Block-in halfway:
Tatsuya gives the big thumbs up:
Tatsuya Soutome, June 2004
A big thanks to Tatsuya – a really wonderful fellow!
Next: Painting in the Park