Little people

As I've said before, I love doing hand building. But I've also always wanted to try slip casting. So recently I made these figures to see how the slip casting would go - and they came out quite well! Mel and I decided to experiment with them....and she made them look cool!! (see below) It's amazing how different each one is. You can imagine they each have some kind of interesting story - and there is a loveliness about them. Actually, I like watching people's reaction when they look at my work. I can see the difference and similarity between them through their reactions, and a little bit of their stories. It's really interesting! I'm going to keep updating the Little People's Little Project....so stay tuned!

kids'APT

Recently, my friend Yuri from Japan visited. We met when we were studying at Nara College of Fine Art. She had a great time in Australia, even though we caught a cold. That was her first time Aussie adventure. We went to the Queensland Art Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art and we found a lovely activity (part of kids'APT) and we tried it! These images are our results of that activity. It was easy and quick but very enjoyable! You just had to trace onto the paper some of the drawings on the table - the table was lit from underneath so you could trace easily. What beautiful artwork! There are lots of kids activities, and some you can do even if you are an adult. So please check it out!!

Fun slabs

Since I came to Australia I've been using porcelain and mainly I do hand building with slabs. It's such a lovely process but it's also a bit tricky and takes a long time to make. Often I draw on the pieces with colour - sometimes just fine lines and sometimes landscapes. Recently I started to do slip casting. It is so interesting to try new things. Hopefully I can show you something later.

TIDE

I went to an island not far from my house called Straddie. I had a great time! It's interesting to see the tide come and go. When I'm in the city, I never think about the tides, but staying by the bay, I watched the tides every day. If you only spend a little bit of time at the ocean, you don't notice the movements but if you spend a longer time there, it's really active. It was a great holiday and made me feel inspired to start making again. Enjoying nature is fun! Thank you Straddie and see you soon!!

Arigato!

February has gone already - that was so fast and it's not just because it was the shortest month of the year. In October 2004 I came to Australia and I started working at Fusions as artist in residence - that's where I met Mel Robson. Since then we have shared several studios including Southbank TAFE, Gateway TAFE and Sculptors Queensland. I have been supported by many great people along the way - especially Stephanie from Fusions, teachers from TAFE and Mark from Sculptors QLD. I am so grateful for their support. But most of these opportunities could not have happened if it wasn't for Mel. She is a top Aussie lady! But unfortunately it's time to now work from home, because there is no residency program to move on to. I was so lucky to have great studios and a great share mate. It was sad to leave. That is why I felt February 2007 was so fast. But I feel like something is coming in the near future. Also Mel and I have an exciting plan - We will do a collaborative project some time soon. More info coming up soon! ARIGATO!!!

Koromogae

Recently I found a beautiful piece of bark from a park nearby but I don't know the name of the tree. It looks a bit like a cherry tree. Twice a year Japanese people do koromogae (wardrobe rotation) in Autumn and Spring. Since I came to Brisbane I haven't done any koromogae because of the weather - which is very handy! But I think I should do some koromogae because it's kind of nice to feel the seasons through koromogae activity.