Monday was super art day for the girls. While BB and Z (along with Shiao YP and AhPoh) spent the morning at an art class – reportedly making painted newspaper balls that had to stay over to dry, Z was apparently very responsive to the other students and the teacher after an initial observation period –,
G, M, and I walked to the nearby paper museum and made paper! The vats already had a quantity of paper pulp already dissolved within, the teacher showed everyone how to agitate the paper pulp and then swish the filter-thing-o in the water just so, so that the paper pulp would be evenly distributed on the screen.
Then sheets of a heavy absorbent paper would be used to suck all the excess water off the paper. (A press would be used to press the excess water off lots of sheets of paper at once.) A dryer, which we did not get to see, was then utilized to finish the drying process.
Since I had my hands full with M, I let G make my paper, this time imprinting her hand, which just ends up being a hole shaped like her hand, in the paper.
I'm not sure the purpose of this room/straw hut, made entirely of bamboo, but it was an exhibit at the paper museum. Loved the look of the handmade paper lanterns hanging from the ceiling. Learned some interesting bits about paper, like how paper grain running altogether in one direction makes it more resistant to folding (before breaking) in a certain direction; the different treatments/materials used for oil blotting paper or money or the paper used in amplifiers or coffee filters. The most interesting thing I learned was about pith paper, grown here in Taiwan. They had noodles of the stuff for sale in the gift shop, I was kind of tempted to get some.
They also had these neat little movable paper projects. I would have taken pictures of the other three in motion, but I got in trouble. :( There were handmade paper journals, bags (treated to be tear resistant), informational books (like on the pith); paper bowls and teacups; a lamp; flowers.
While the younger three were *supposed to be* taking a nap, Shiao YP took G and I to another dept store, a branch of the Shin Kong Mitsukoshi, for acrylic painting. (Note: the cat has a blue strawberry around its neck in reference to the blue strawberries from Sound of Music.) There was quite the selection of paintings to choose from – I wanted her to do one of a rabbit holding an orange, getting ready for the new year –, even a line of more time intensive ones for adults and ones using a texturized puff paint stuff that requires one extra day to dry. I got to shop all the levels of the dept store, but didn't buy anything (too expensive) except some food and drinks in the food level, while we waited.
