trip to Budapest

I've just come back from a visit to Budapest, where it was chilly but clear, and very relaxing. We visited the castle and walked around the old cobbly streets. I loved the houses all in pretty colours with different architectural details...I particularly enjoyed the cake shops and cafes, especially this one, with its lovingly restored ceilings and mirrors. Heavenly!We went to different spa baths every day, and my favourite were the Rudas Baths, a spa dating back to the Ottoman era. No photo of that one unfortunately, but here's one of the Szechenyi outdoor baths.

Middlebury college Christmas animation

I did the drawings for a special Christmas Season animation by Middlebury College. My white line drawings were animated with a fun, wobbly movement, over the students talking about the winter at college in Vermont. You can see the animation here.

shanghai trip

I spent a few days in Shanghai recently, re-acquainting myself after a ten year break. Thankfully there are still some lovely old parts left...although the new and shiny is asserting itself strongly...I took photos with my LCA on black and white film, looking for the beautiful old, messy Shanghai, mysterious through the fog and cold. I missed all the old-style bicycles (everyone seems to be on electric moped thingys now), that used to be everywhere. But the food was of course as tasty as ever!Shanghai dumplings are something special, they really are...

coop house

A few weekends ago I went to stay in the littlest castle you've ever seen. Well, it was actually a renovated summer house, but it's been beautifully renovated by the Landmark Trust, and it looks like a castle, so that's good enough for me...It's up near Carlisle, and the weather held out for us, so we walked in the mud, got chased by cows, and watched salmon leaping in the river. I loved the antiques that filled the house, and spent time drawing some of them. This jug is my favourite.We also went to see Hadrian's wall, and I fell in love with the land all around.

just a minute

I went to a recording of  'Just a Minute' (my favourite radio show ever) last week, at BBC Broadcasting House in Portland Place, London. We had to wait in line for a long time, but it was worth it. Nicholas Parsons was jovial and dressed smartly in his usual stripy blazer, the panel was almost ideal: Paul Merton was droll, Jenny Eclair sharp, Ross Noble a bit obscure and crazy, and Gyles Brandreth was totally OTT. I loved it!

I used to listen to the show with my dad, when I was a child in HK, when it was broadcast on the world service on sundays. When we moved to the UK when I was 12, dad and I went to a live recording with all the original panel: Kenneth Williams, Derek Nimmo, Clement Freud, and my favourite, Peter Jones.

It was so amazing to see another recording, so many years later. Nicholas Parsons is still the chairman, and has been for the whole of the 45 years it's been going! Amazing...

iriya plus cafe mural

While I was in Tokyo two weeks ago, I went to visit my friend Naomi who runs iriya plus cafe, in Iriya, near Ueno. It's in an old warehouse building that she renovated, keeping the gorgeous original wooden beams and shelves, and overall traditional Japanese style, but adding a modern feel.She commissioned me to paint a mural on the main cafe wall, as a backdrop for the upcoming 'pancake party' event, with live music by the local band JOYZ (you can see them in the above photo).I drew this initial rough design, but found out that they don't make pancakes in a frying pan! So I took the pancake out and added more text. I also changed the font I used for 'POP' into my more comfortable calligraphic stye. Here's how it looked when it was done.A photographer called Takumi Yamamoto, a friend of JOYZ, documented the day: me doing the mural, and also JOYZ playing live while I was doing the painting. There was a typhoon that day, but we were all snug inside. This is everyone, including the cafe staff... If you're in Tokyo on October 29, try to make it to the live event, I bet it'll be fantastic. For tickets and more details, go to the iriya cafe blog. Wish I could be there!

Kate Spade party

Kate Spade has just opened a shiny new store in Pacific Place shopping mall in Hong Kong, and I was asked to be a guest artist at the opening party. I  drew sketches of the customers and VIPs (who had each been given a fabric flower to wear for the event), and gave them to everyone to keep as a souvenir gift.It was fun! I kept the portraits light, pretty, and in the style of the evening. Each one had a dash of watercolour red and pink for the flowers, and took under five minutes to complete. I think most of the guests were happy with their pictures...I had expected it to be mostly women, but alot of men sat for me also, which was great.There were a few local celebrities there, and I even drew a portrait for Stephy, a canto-pop singer.Check out all the HK stores (ifc, Harbour City & Elements, as well as PP) if you're into super nice handbags and accessories!

Stephan Said album artwork

In my last NY blog I mentioned that I went to a gig of a friend of a friend (Stephan Said) and did some sketches... well, my friend showed him the sketches, he (Stephan) loved them, and asked me if I could do some more for his new album. So I did.We discussed the album, I watched videos of his live performances, listened to the songs, and then worked out a concept for the album cover: I drew each of the main band members, and the image wrapped around the front and back of the CD packaging to show them all.I did extra sketches for the inside of the booklet, and also did most of the hand-lettering in the same loose pen style, for the titles and track names. I think it holds it all together well.

Here's an interview with Stephan on PRI, and you can listen to the single 'Take a Stand' on the Huffington Post, and of course you can find out all about Stephan on his own website.

The album was released yesterday, September 21st, International Day of Peace.

River Cottage veg everyday!

My new book is out! I say my new book, but of course it's Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's new book: the next River Cottage everyday cook book, all about vegetables. Yum. For this book, I created the illustrations out of the ingredients themselves: I printed with the actual vegetables in the recipes. Remember how you used to print with potatoes at school? Sort of like that, but in a slightly more professional way. I left some of the vegetable prints simple (like this globe artichoke) and with others I created narratives and patterns, to complement the recipes.The illustrations have the same relaxed 'home-made' feel to them as the ones in the last 'River Cottage every day' cookbook, but this time in full colour, and with texture. You can read what Hugh says about the book here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/aug/26/hugh-fearnley-whittingstall-vegetables

It's the Guardian link, as he writes for them every weekend. The book is on their best-seller list!You can also go direct to River Cottage to watch several videos of Hugh talking about the book. He's so excited about vegetables...

I'd also like to say a little thank you to Lawrence Morton, who art directed the book, as he's been so wonderful to work with. Thank you!

monsters illustration show

As you may know, I'm part of an illustration collective in London called monsters and we sometimes get together and do projects as a group. We've got a show launching on sunday at a cycling-themed cafe/bar in Old Street. Everyone (except me, unfortunately I'm still away) will be attending the private view, so if you fancy meeting us, please join us on thursday evening. Otherwise, pop in any time to have a look at the wonderful work!

Here's a sneak preview of one of my new pieces done especially. It's a digital archival print, in an edition of 10.

Hope you enjoy the show!

Peonies, Playing cards, & Teapots

I have a solo exhibition opening soon, in a gallery in Hong Kong, yay! It will feature my printmaking work, themed around Asia, tea, flowers and playing cards.

As well as my etchings, my HK toile teasets recently sold in Lane Crawford will be available to buy.There'll be new furnishing fabric in the pattern, which has been made into cushions, sofas, table napkins etc. I've also designed some unique Peony rugs, and this will be the first time they're available for sale! The teasets and fabric are produced by faux, and if you can't make it to the show, you can buy directly from them.

The exhibition will be at Amelia Johnson Contemporary, G/F, 6-10 Shin Hing Street, just off Hollywood Road in Central.

The opening party is from 6-9pm on Wednesday 7 September 2011, and the show continues until 24 September.

If you'd like any more information, please contact me!

Mariko

connecting your world

Hello! I've just found out that an illustration I entered into the Cathay Pacific competition 'connecting your world' won a prize! I'm very excited. The competition was for images or text that showed how air transport connected Hong Kong to the world, in a creative and inspiring way, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the first powered flight to HK in 1911. My winning picture...

And the photo I entered, that didn't win, but that I still think is pretty good ...

My favourite view in the world (Hong Kong island) ...

award!

Finally, I win an award! Well, technically I didn't really, but I was part of the team that made the piece that won the award, so it's a good start... The UCDA (University and College Designers Association) in the US gave the 'Award for Excellence' for the Betty Jones 'Summer School' annual report I illustrated for Middlebury College. It was designed by Carey Bass, with photographs by Brett Simison.

With pen and ink line, I drew on top of various photographic portraits of teachers, highlighting what they thought about their experiences as educators. I really enjoyed this project, which just goes to show that sometimes the fun ones are the ones that really work.

Here are a few pages from the report...

Cliveden visit

This weekend I went to Cliveden, a National Trust Property in Buckinghamshire. The grand Restoration era house (more of a large castley-villa) is now a private hotel, where you can also take meals. You get to the house up a long, wide gravel drive, past a magnificent marble fountain. In the 30's this was the home of Lord and Lady Astor, and there was a beautiful painting of Lady Astor by John Singer Sargent in the lobby. I explored a little, upstairs and downstairs, before lunch...

After lunch, a stroll in the gardens, to admire the parterre, and the house itself.There was a small group of re-enactment actors playing at being Lady Astor's crowd of socialites and celebrities, from 1934. How wonderfully English. They even had lemon drizzle cake...

baby room mural

I've just painted a ocean-themed mural for my baby niece's bedroom. It's a little room, with pale yellow walls and a partially sloped white ceiling. I roughly divided the room into 3 horizontal bands, with the top area of the walls, near the ceiling, as the sky, the next level as the horizon of the sea, and the bottom level, near the floor, as the ocean floor. From my initial concept just to do the sky, with clouds, stars and the moon...

the room developed into a gentle sea paradise.

I drew the clouds, birds, and main boat in pencil first, for positioning, and tested out the colours.

I painted the clouds white on the yellow walls, and where the walls merged into the sloped ceiling, I changed the clouds to blue on white.

I put birds in the clouds,

and sea creatures in corners along the skirting board of the room...

And of course, the main feature: a sailboat, with an imaginary portrait of my niece, sailing in her dreams...

wedding invitations

So, my good friend Ping got married this May, and I designed his wedding invitations, and also created a special map for him of Central Park in NY (where he made his romantic proposal). The style brief for the invitation was a vintage, country feel, with a quirky, hand-made aesthetic; light-bulbs hanging from wooden rafters and flowers in jam jars, that sort of thing.

I created a simple, hand-lettered invitation, in two slightly retro colours, with a few illustrative details. Inside, the card was also hand-lettered.

The card design was used as a detail throughout the wedding, with cards on the tables as menus, place settings and memory cards, where everyone could write notes for the bridal couple and hang them up on a washing line...

The map I created for them was a narrative of where they walked that day, where Ping hesitated, where they got lost, and where he finally proposed.

It was used as an animated feature in a mini-movie of the wedding, and also as a back-drop for the stage at the reception:

What a lovely wedding...

*the photographs were taken by Tec Petaja

Observer Food Monthly Awards

Hello again, I forgot to put these up in June, but thought you might like to see them anyhow. I did some line illustrations on photographs for this advertising campaign for The Observer. I hope you saw them, and voted in time! I hope I win an award one day too...

thank you cards

My US agents Marlena Agency made this pack of postcards to say thank you to all their clients. The cards are printed in 2 colours, and letterpressed on lovely thick paper. Here's a photo of the pack (I did the cover lettering) and my card in the pack. Hope you like!

Kyoto exhibitions and print conference

Hi there, I've just had work in two exhibitions in Kyoto! Sorry for the late notice, but have to say they were both lovely. The first was a show of work by artists who attended the moku hanga (Japanese woodblock printing) residency in Nagasawa, Japan.

It was a Japanese style show, with all the work laid out on low tables, unframed, so you could see the subtleties of colour and texture. It was held at the Kyoto Arts Centre.

The second was a show of artists books, held in a specialist arts book shop. It was very very sweet. You could leaf through the books (after washing your hands, or putting on gloves), so it was possible to see all the pages.

I was in Kyoto for the 1st ever International Moku Hanga Conference, it was great! I attended several workshops...

and watched various demonstrations and presentations, by experts in the field, both local and from abroad.

I met  many interesting printmakers from around the world, and spent time with old friends I don't get to see often enough... and now I've definately got to work harder on my printmaking! Watch this space for new prints soon...

New York visit

Hello again, here are a few items of Mariko news from NY... I went to see my ceramic products on display in Tiffanys on Fifth Avenue. Hurrah! They’d sold out of the mugs, which was great to hear.

I painted another mural (an alien this time) for Sparkhouse Kids toystore in South Orange.

They're using the ‘Sparky’ character I designed as the store mascot and logo now too. You can even get mini stick-on tattoos with him on!

I went to Pennsylvania to visit some friends in the countryside,

...went to a cool gig of a guy called Stephan Said, who had all sorts of interesting-looking people accompanying him,

and finally, enjoyed wandering in the Union Square farmer's market, looking at pies. A wonderful end to a wonderful trip.