Painting the Future with Your Own Hands! A Spring Workshop Tackling Plaster-Style Walls / Murakami Academy ⑩

A certain day in March.

It's that time of the month again, Murakami Academy Workshop!
(Wait, it's already April. Oh well.)

Check out the journey so far here!

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[Murakami Academy Workshop Series🏠]
① Get New Skills & Friends! Hands-on Traditional House Renovation Workshop Highly Recommended / Niigata Prefecture Murakami Academy
② Getting Behind the Scenes of Traditional House Renovation! What I Saw by Experiencing the Actual Work / Niigata Murakami Academy
③ Demolition Debut! Traditional House Renovation Workshop Where You Can Experience Demolition and Restoration ③ / Niigata Murakami Academy
④Connecting a Roof Tile to the Future ~With the Wisdom Dwelling in Traditional Houses~ / Niigata Murakami Academy
⑤Parent and Child's First Traditional House Renovation! The World of Roof Sheet Metal You Didn't Know / Niigata Prefecture Murakami Academy
⑥Joining as a Family! We Tried the Murakami Academy "Floor Laying" Workshop
⑦Snow on Shoji Screens, Nails in Guns!? Murakami Academy's Traditional House Renovation Workshop Where Old Wisdom and DIY Are Fun
⑧Murakami Academy Experience Report: Feeling the "Joy of Working with Your Hands" as a Parent and Child in a Snow-Covered Traditional House
⑨Awakening the Craftsman Spirit! Close-up Report on the Snow Country Traditional House Renovation Workshop / Niigata Murakami Academy
→ Continuing from here today
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The snow that had piled up so high
has all melted away as if it were a lie!

February

March

Under a dazzling blue sky, I finally feel the arrival of spring.

Now then, as for the March menu...

it's painting plaster-style walls!

(Oh, we've been waiting for this!)

This edition of Murakami Academy brings you
a paint application experience that even DIY beginners can enjoy!

The base coat is everything in painting! A humble yet essential big job

Well, we can't just start painting right away.

First, the "base preparation" is incredibly important.

The reason is that we applied putty to parts of the wall to give it a plaster-like finish.

If this putty spills over onto areas we don't want to paint,
like pillars or frames...
the final result will look pretty mediocre.

So, the first thing we do is putty treatment.

If even a little bit of putty
is on the wood parts like the pillars, it's a no-go!

Therefore, we use a trowel to scrape off the excess parts
and smooth it out to be flat.

Huh? Scraping? Won't you scrape the wood?

...Please rest assured.

Putty comes off surprisingly easily when rubbed with water,
so for the parts that are hard to scrape, just scrubbing them off is fine.

And next up is the arrival of the masking tape.

Masking tape application to ensure paint doesn't get on areas where it's not needed.

This part is low-key, but it's incredibly important!

If you apply it sloppily, the paint will bleed through and result in a jagged finish.

We'll apply it precisely here, with the mindset of a craftsman.

This time, my daughter and son joined in the battle too.
Both of them were sticking the tape on with serious expressions.

Asking things like, "What do I do here?" or "Is it okay to overlap it?"
Seeing them ask so earnestly makes me, as a mother, feel a bit happy to see their growth.

My own work might decrease, but I deeply feel that enjoying it together is what's important.

Wait, is that a bathroom!? A kitchen!? The atmosphere of nearing completion

In between tasks, when I happened to peek into another room...

What!? There's a bathroom installed!

And there's even a kitchen duct!

Yes, the old folk house at Murakami Gakuen is steadily nearing completion.
Seeing it change little by little into a "livable space" like this is just so deeply moving.

It's not just doing chores; I get the real feeling that we are building the future together!

Finally, the main event! The paint application experience begins

Well then, after recharging our energy with lunch, it's finally time for the finishing paint job.

This time, we will use paint that is perfect for plaster-style walls.

Here is a bit of paint trivia.

There are oil-based and water-based paints, but recent water-based paints are incredibly excellent.

Their durability has improved, and I hear there are even types that can be used outdoors.

Plus, you can wash brushes and your hands with just water!
Their ease of use is outstanding.

With brushes in hand, the children are also painting away in a trance.

I want to finish the parts where I applied the putty myself!
(This is my imagined inner voice.)

The joy of finishing a wall
that we prepared the base for with our own hands
is something special, isn't it?

A pink wall!? Actually... it's a calculated color coordination

I had a sneaking suspicion,
but wait, doesn't the part we painted look a bit pink?

Actually, this is a "special color"
matched to the pink of the alcove in the back room.

The gentle hue, like a faint cherry blossom color,
gives the whole space a sense of unity, and it's just lovely.

Was it just an assumption that plaster had to be white!

Finishing it in a "playful plaster style"
is the Murakami Gakuen style.

It's not just about restoring an old folk house,
but adding an "aesthetic sense that fits that house"—
that's a clever touch, isn't it?

I really learn something new every time.

Finally, peel off the tape...

\Done~~~!!!

There are two sessions left. It's finally the final spurt!

This project, which started in the summer of 2024,
is finally in its final stages.

It's been over half a year since I joined this project.

Every time, the things I "can do" increase,
the things I "understand" increase,
and above all, doing things together with others is fun!

I'm realizing that all over again.

The next Murakami Gakuen workshop is scheduled for
April 12th to 19th!

And finally, in June,an opening eventis also coming up.

For those of you who were a little curious,
you might still be able to jump in and join now!?

Why not join us and have fun building everyone's future together?

Workshops are more about the heart than the technique!

There's the fun of picking up some skill every time.

But more than anything,
the fun of creating something with someone else,
and a place where you feel it's okay to fail.

I think the warmth of that "atmosphere"
is the greatest charm
of the Murakami Gakuen workshops.

With the arrival of spring, my DIY spirit is growing rapidly too.

I'm going to enjoy the remaining dates to the fullest!

Your likes are my encouragement!!!

If you would like to participate in the workshop, please register via LINE here.
(I am not the organizer, just a fan.)

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[Murakami Academy Workshop Series🏠]
① Get New Skills & Friends! Hands-on Traditional House Renovation Workshop Highly Recommended / Niigata Prefecture Murakami Academy
② Getting Behind the Scenes of Traditional House Renovation! What I Saw by Experiencing the Actual Work / Niigata Murakami Academy
③ Demolition Debut! Traditional House Renovation Workshop Where You Can Experience Demolition and Restoration ③ / Niigata Murakami Academy
④Connecting a Roof Tile to the Future ~With the Wisdom Dwelling in Traditional Houses~ / Niigata Murakami Academy
⑤Parent and Child's First Traditional House Renovation! The World of Roof Sheet Metal You Didn't Know / Niigata Prefecture Murakami Academy
⑥Joining as a Family! We Tried the Murakami Academy "Floor Laying" Workshop
⑦Snow on Shoji Screens, Nails in Guns!? Murakami Academy's Traditional House Renovation Workshop Where Old Wisdom and DIY Are Fun
⑧Murakami Academy Experience Report: Feeling the "Joy of Working with Your Hands" as a Parent and Child in a Snow-Covered Traditional House
⑨Awakening the Craftsman Spirit! Close-up Report on the Snow Country Traditional House Renovation Workshop / Niigata Murakami Academy
→ Continuing from here today
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