Monday, May 28, 2012

Trying out different papers for etegami

 I have been exploring the same composition on different types of paper.  Some of these are rough, handmade paper, others are watercolor paper and several are of the gasenshi type used in etegami.  It's fascinating to see how the paper affects what the paints do.  I am using traditional gansai paints.

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

By the sea pink ice plant grows


It was a cold and grey morning by the sea at the end of Mirada Road in the Miramar section of the coast side.  There is one house by the ocean that has a carpet of tiny pink ice plant in the yard.  It was hard not to be drawn to the explosion of color in all of that grey light.  Here is my attempt today. I also did a small etegami shown here.

Monday, May 14, 2012

Shungo Asada: the King of kindness

In the mail today I received the most astonishing gift: Five hand carved hanko from Japan. Three of these were carved from a rubber stamp by Shungo Asada and two others were commissioned by Asada-san from a friend who makes these charming seals. The small red marks on oriental artwork are themselves part of the art. Placement of the stamps on the page is part of the aesthetics. Having a variety of seals to use increases the choice for placement on etegami. I shall have LOTS of fun using these kind gifts. How did I get so lucky? The card at the bottom is a pencil sketch by the artist who made the stamps. Isn't his work delightful? The card on top is part of my thank you to Shungo Asada. Arigato Gozaimasu.









Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Points for rebounds

On Facebook today a former student, Chris Esparza, now living and teaching in Oregon posted this thought:
"In basketball, they keep stats on rebounding.  In life, this is a skill to cultivate . . .  giving more attention to what happens after a missed shot vs. the miss itself."  This is superior advice for living.  We all get stuck curled into a ball of self recrimination when things don't go well.  What great advice: focus on what comes next!  This is, of course, where our power lies . . . in the actions we do each day to advance our purposes.  So, today's mantra is "BECOME a great REBOUNDER".  Thanks, Chris, for the metaphor.  


And, today's etegami is a gift from the Queen of Etegami in Japan, Debbie Davidson.  Here her touching poem is accompanied by a green onion painted with matcha tea and sparkling gel pens.  What fun.  I love the lamination which protects the card as it flies from Japan to California.  Thanks, Debbie.






Monday, May 7, 2012

Etegami for May


   This watercolor was done in 2006 in Denmark