exhibitions
The moku hanga exhibition in Edinburgh I wrote about a few posts ago opened on friday, here's a photo of how my work looked in the show (top left and directly underneath that, in the cluster of frames)
and a photo from the private view.
Looks like a fun night!
This is a little announcement to say I have 2 Japanese woodblock prints in an exhibition at the Royal Scottish Academy. The show is called 'In Japan' and I'm one of the "Internationally invited contemporary Mokuhanga artists"! Nice. The show runs from 30 July - 18 Sep. If you're around, please go and have a look...
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...
Stop press! I had a piece of work accepted to the annual Royal Academy show! It opens on June 7th, please go along and have a look. They've hung the show quite differently this year, I think it has a fresher look than usual. Also, it's got a piece by me in! I entered an artist's book called 'The Perfect Cup of Tea'. It's a small, delicate, Japanese-style folding book with wood covers. The images tell the story of the process of making a cup of tea, in Japanese woodblock printing. It's a hand-made edition of 25.
Here's a sneak preview...
Today I'll be talking you through my portfolio: how I've divided and sub-divided the sections and why. The first section is 'editorial'. This features illustrations I've done for magazines and newspapers. I've split this into several themes: 'food', because I like doing work on this subject the most, 'lifestyle', because so much fits under its umbrella, 'people', because they’re always engaging and 'horoscopes', as every illustrator quite simply must have one.
The next section is 'special commissions'. This contains projects that are unique and don't necessarily fit easily into any fixed category. These are the projects I love best. Among them are ceramics for Tiffany & Co., backdrops for a photoshoot for Martha Stewart Weddings, and drawings on napkins for a charity exhibition.
'books' features all the large publishing projects I've worked on, from the detailed illustrations throughout the River Cottage everyday cookbook, to the many children's books I've illustrated, finishing with my book covers for various international novels.
I've been making maps for many years, almost from the beginning of my career, and the 'map' section shows a highlight of the various kinds: 'large scale' shows maps that are close-up and detailed, with road names and exact locations. 'small scale' tends to be maps of large areas, or whole countries, where capturing the atmosphere is most important. 'Penline' shows maps with a looser line, in a more graphic style, while 'concept' features more unusual maps, with a specific angle.
'editions' showcases my art prints: etchings (of ceramics and travel), Japanese woodblock prints, lithographs, and also a small selection of my medium-format photographs.
The section entitled 'personal work' shows the more intimate side of what I do. Sketchbooks are my constant companions, where all that I see and think are noted for future reference. 'things I've made' are objects I create, decorate and make interesting, 'greetings cards' is where I show the special cards I've designed, while 'exhibitions' contains photographs of the shows I've had of my work.
'about' tells you a little about me (you can see what I look like too), 'clients' is a list of some of the people I've worked for, and 'contact' tells you how you can find me to tell me, well, anything you'd like really. Or better still, that you'd like to commission me for something....
Oh, there's also a discreet 'links' button at the bottom of the page to let you know other websites I like.
