Hey Hanna,
This is my last entry from Korean soil. I board my flight in about 40 minutes. I have to say that this has been quite the adventure and only the time in the air and getting through customs remains. A few weeks go 18 international ceramic artists came together to celebrate celadon in a remote farming village on the southern coast of Korea before going out on tour. We have packed so much information into that 18 days that my head is spinning.
Last night I visited the studio of a painter and had goodbye drinks on the roof of our hotel. This morning before saying my final goodbyes, I headed to view some of the palaces and the Cheonggye stream. as well as making one last stop in Insadong, just in case I forgot a bobble or two. It was 9 AM and already really hot. I walked for 2 1/2 hours hoping to pre-empt the stiffness I will feel in a very short time. The heat is one thing I will not miss. I arrived back at the hotel dripping with sweat, grabbed my bags, checked out, paid for my cab and said my goodbyes. It was a very hard thing to do considering I have gotten close to so many here. I am guessing this will be an excuse to visit other places (Melborne, Perth, Brisbane, the tree top walk of Western Australia not to mention Japan and Israel. I must confess that travel to Japan is in the works as we speak. I am hoping that it works out.
We left the hotel at 1PM and arrived at the airport around 2:15, not without wear, our driver fell asleep with 32K to go. As we passed over the bridge in Incheon the tide was down. The land surrounding the rocky islands that reminded me of Maine, was a fiery red with a wildflower that can withstand both sea water and being submerged. It was beautiful. We arrived at the airport shortly afterwards and one of our friends went on his way without saying as much as goodbye. Kim and I checked in. Her bags didn't pass screening, which was cause of for some tense moments. The culprit was an aerosol can she forgot she had. We walked around for a bit, met with some friends who arrived a bit later before all going our separate ways for good. I stopped on my way down to my gate to have something to eat. I was starving, one last Korean meal. I even ate the Kimchi.
I know it will take some time to process all I have learned and experienced. I have an exhibition in December that I will be starting a whole new body of work for. I cannot wait to see how my work changes, I know it will.
No comments:
Post a Comment