You may remember my Habushu post a few months back where I discussed the finer points of this local delicacy… well for a number of reasons I find it hard to get rid of this big jar of preserved pit viper (namely being that I refuse to open it up due to the stench) and so it accompanied us on the move back to Takefu.

However, I have found a use for it as a drawing tool. I am starting some drawing classes here this fall, and I’m also teaching a few irregular classes on “Art as Therapy” at a medical university up here, trying to impart some drawing techniques to nurses and care workers who want to use art therapy to help their patients. The first time I taught the class I gathered up some flowers and vegetables and put together a basic still life. My second class was on August 19, and as it’s past the big flower season, I had to find a new subject.

Well, it was just sitting there, staring me in the face. Literally.

The class went quite well. We were prepared for 20 students, so we set up 10 chairs around the habu and 10 chairs around a pile of vegetables (I figured not everyone would want to get up close and personal to the snake, if nothing else for the smell). We only had 12 people in the end, but it was pretty funny to watch the 10 seats around the vegetables fill up immediately, and the remaining students hover around as if they were hoping a new seat would pop up by the pumpkin by itself. Eventually though they warmed up to his little face and the class split up half and half between the two still lifes.

I did a little 2-hour watercolor demo of the habu to show the students how to do a layered watercolor painting.

Won't you *habu* some? (Ok, I'm sorry about that...)