Kenrokuen - Kanazawa

After the excitement of the mokuhanga residency and conference, I went to Kanazawa for a few days to walk, and catch up on work. On my first day, I visited Kenrokuen Gardens, which were free to the public for the week so everyone could enjoy the cherry blossom which was in full bloom…

The gardens took 200 years to perfect, and have been open to the public since the Edo era. I found a little teahouse by a pond, and enjoyed a refreshing plum soda and made a watercolour sketch.

The views of the sakura were breathtaking, and I enjoyed walking along the various paths and seeing all the different trees.

My favourite parts of the garden were the mossy bits - I just can’t resist the glorious greens.

I would love to visit these gardens in other seasons - imagine how stunning they would be in the Autumn!

mokuhanga exhibition

As part of the International Mokuhanga Conference in Echizen, my printmaking collective Mokuhanga Sisters held a special exhibition at the Udatsu Paper and Craft Museum.

The museum allowed us free reign to design our show, and we displayed our work in the beautiful historic gallery as if it were precious jewels. Some of the prints were hanging, so you could walk around them to see the reverse side, and some were layed down on black velvet.

My print for the collaborative project is titled Camellia Bowl, and is the largest print I’ve made thus far. I used sumi ink from Nara, and masaban-sized washi from Echizen.

Here’s the statement I wrote about my piece:

We also showed our collaborative scroll piece in the main gallery, that we made together in 2020/21.

In the back room of the gallery, we showed some of our own personal work, and I had 3 flowers prints close together like this.

A reporter from the local Fukui Prefecture newspaper came to speak to us about the show and the conference, and we held a private view of the show the evening before it opened.

Thank you to everyone who came to see our show, and left lovely comments in our book. We’re looking forward to our next show when we complete part 2 of our project!

mokuhanga conference

I attended the 5th International Mokuhanga Conference that was held in Echizen last week, and had an incredible time. Our collective, Mokuhanga Sisters, put up a group show that was magical, and my tiny folded piece ‘le petit jardin’ was also featured in the juried show.

I did several workshops, but my favourite was papermaking - I’ve tried it once before, but truly enjoyed it this time, making 2 pieces of washi that I hope to be able to make prints with.

There were lots of talks and several demos, which I sketched, and I especially found Kyoko Hirai’s printing demo fascinating. I am always learning so much…

I’ve never really sized my own paper, preferring to buy it ready-sized, but having tried it out at my residency a few weeks ago, and then seeing Taki san’s demo at the conference, I think I may make it a habit.

It was great to participate in the open portfolio and show some of my work. Thank you to everyone who came by and chatted. It’s a real confidence booster!

It was a hectic few days, but extremely rewarding. Already looking forward to the next one…

Japan part II - mokuhanga residency

I worked hard at my mokuhanga residency in Echizen that finished last week. This was my desk, facing a pretty plum tree.

I started 2 projects, but eventually focussed on the smaller block so I’d have time to print.

I love the carving process, and am still a bit nervous of the printing, so I try to prepare as much as possible.

I planned this flower print in colour, and tried out various combinations…

…but then decided to also try a version in sepia tones, to really capture the idea that this is a print made from a fluid line sketch.

Here are both versions. Let me know which you prefer!

Echizen

I’m having a lovely time at my Echizen residency, and it’s been great to be working on my newest, largest print. The weather has been changeable so far: bright sunshine, thunderstorms, hail, rain, and several flurries of snow. I haven’t been so cold in a long time. And this morning there was an earthquake!

This is the view from my room, during a light dusting of snow…

Tokyo

I arrived in Tokyo for just a few days, before travelling to the countryside. It was lovely and sunny and so so so wonderful to be back!

I managed to fit in some brush shops, a paper shop and even a pigment shop. I’m all set up for my upcoming mokuhanga residency…

Hong Kong

I’ve loved being back in Hong Kong after so long. Just seeing all these ordinary things, with fresh eyes, is making me so happy…

I had my first real dim sum in over a year!

I even managed to spend a relaxed and nostalgic day on Lantau, taking the slow ferry to the island…

…and wandering around, reliving the days when it was my home, surrounded by ginger marshes and local gods.

For my last few days here, it’s mostly work now!

Hong Kong - and product launch

I’m off to HK, for a week of meetings. Also, having a private sale of my Japan Toile Ceramics Collection…

It’s a lovely fine bone china design, in indigo blue, with the sake set having gold details too. I’ll be at the Sale on March 13th - if you’re interested in attending, please contact me via e-mail.

bread

Every weekend my wonderful husband bakes sourdough bread, and I have recently been trying out some interesting patterns in the dough. I’m getting the hang of it and find it makes the bread look even more delightful than usual!

Valentine

Hope you had an enjoyable Valentine’s Day, whether you celebrate it or not. Here’s a fun illustration of a Valentine’s bear on a penny farthing…

All my love, Mariko x

year of the dragon

A very Happy Lunar New Year to you! This is the year of the Wood Dragon, and may it bring prosperity and happiness and magic to you all.

Here’s the illustration I made for the Keswick Foundation charity this year.

I’ve realised that over the years I’ve illustrated many dragons, usually the Chinese kind: from ceramics and book covers..

…to watercolour sketches and brush drawings.

I especially like this simple slightly abstract dragon I made as part of the Chinese Horoscope interior decorations for Pacific Place in HK a while ago.

I’ve always loved the magical dragon, and look forward to creating many more in the future. Here’s more of a Japanese dragon, made as a greeting card…

online meetings

I’ve had so many meetings this week! I usually try to sketch people as they talk, as this helps me to focus.

I attended a Creativebug seminar with all these artists, it was great!

I also joined a COPE meeting, about our new book - I’m already working on this one…

And a smaller and more casual meeting with Katie and Yoonmi about our brand new wood+paper+box project, also starting right now!

So many meetings, and so many opportunities to sketch…

clouds and skies

The weather has been all over the place this year, and I’ve been photographing the glorious skies and clouds I can see from the balcony, mostly in the afternoons.

The fog sometimes settles on the hills in the distance and you can see it gently rolling.

There has been a lot of rain, but there’s often a quick break with sudden blue skies and quick moving clouds.

I love the dusk, and the tinge of oranges and pinks that appear in the blues.

The moon in all its phases is always a bonus in the late afternoon sky.

My favourite fluffy clouds, at any time of day, make me so happy!

The end of the day, with intense sunset reds, is often glorious after the rain…

dinner dance

I went to a grown up dinner dance last night - super fun, and a refreshing change to have a sociable weekend.

I did dance, but also took much enjoyment from watching everyone else dance, and even managed to sketch a bit. These dancers were totally into it, I loved it!

Here’s the full page of sketches - dancing dancing dancing…

monarch butterflies

This week, I went down to Santa Cruz with a friend, to enjoy the sea air, and see the butterflies at the Monarch Butterflies Natural Preserve . They come to a specific little valley where the climate is exactly right, and cluster together to spend the winter. I’ve been once before, but it was off season, and only saw a few here and there, but this time there were so many!

The butterflies cluster together on the branches of the trees, and as the sun shines on them, and they warm up, they all start fluttering and flapping in a magical way.

The grove itself is beautiful, made of tall eucalyptus trees, and I thoroughly recommend a visit!

New Year meal

We got back to California in time for New Year’s eve, and spent the day making a simple osechi - the Japanese New Year meal.

It was delicious, and my favourite part, the black beans, came out surprisingly well. I hope 2024 will be a year of hope and trying our best for us all!

UK Christmas

It’s been a short but lovely Christmas time back in London with the family. Here is our little tree that we take outside every year and bring back in for Christmas, a bit wonky, but full of love, and our traditional decorations.

I spent a few days in the city itself, looking at the Christmas lights and doing a spot of shopping…

I made my traditional wreath by collecting holly and ivy from the back of my parents garden. It wouldn’t feel right without this.

Hope you had a great Christmas and a wonderful New Year!

holiday greetings

I’m in London with all the family, enjoying some cosy Winter times. Hope you’re doing whatever makes you happy too. All the best for a peaceful, bright, and hopeful end of the year, wherever you are.

holiday preparations

It’s that time of year again, and I’ve been getting ready: making mince pies, decorating the home, and wrapping gifts.

I made mince pies with home-made dough and 3 different types of mince meat. It took all day, but was totally worth it! I decoreated them differently so I could tell which flavour was which.

And here’s our tiny, tiny Christmas tree - we decorated with our smallest ornaments, and happily the golden fox still fits ontop.

I put some of the larger glass baubles we have in a decorative tray on the table, and added some small decorations around the apartment. We’re ready for Christmas, and I hope it’s going to be a good one…

holiday cards

For this weekend only, I’ve put some of my packs of Christmas cards up for sale in my online shop. I love these little watercolour robin illustrations I made!

There are 2 different robin designs, and the cards are blank inside, and sold in packs of 5. They would be perfect for a little note to say hello to a friend you haven’t seen in a while…