things I've made

Spirit of Christmas fair

So, it's that time again. I'm working at the thinkgadgets lighting stand at the Spirit of Christmas Fair at Olympia in London next week (2 - 6 Nov), please come and say hello!

I've worked for thinkgadgets since it started, over 10 years ago, designing light-shapes, creating illustrations for their packaging, and doing work on their website (check out the link above). The lights are all decorative, and are usually sold in large stores, like John Lewis, Libertys, The White Co etc. But the Fair is a chance to see all the collection together!This is a drawing of one of their colourful light-chains, and here's one of my favourite light mobiles (I designed the shapes, they change colour!)I help out every year at the Christmas fair, it's great to get direct feedback from people buying lights I've designed. Hope to see you there!

launch party

Hi all, a big thank you to everyone who came to my opening party last night. It was crowded and cosy and wonderful! Many tea sets and etchings were sold, and I hope all my new patrons of the arts went home happy.

The show continues until the 24th September, with new pieces (rugs/cushions etc) being added next week. Bring your friends...This is me, my friend Alexis, and some of  my 'Peony Collection' silk cushions. The Peony Collection designs are created from details of the flowers in my etchings.

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

new Hong Kong teaset

Hello all, before I start on my NY blog, I thought you might like to see my newest product, available in Lane Crawford department store in HK.

The concept for this project was to create a traditional toile pattern with a contemporary Hong Kong twist, that could be used on a whole range of products, starting with ceramics. There's a teapot, teacup & saucer, and Chinese teacups. I think you can buy them all seperately.

All the elements and details in the design are very local  to HK, for example a mah jong tile, a good luck goldfish, a 2 dollar coin, and a red lampshade from the markets.

I grew up in HK, and I’m constantly inspired by it. I wanted to create a design that celebrates everything I love about HK!

my shop

So, my 'shop' is under construction and soon you'll be able to buy all sorts of lovely Mariko things direct from me. Hurrah! At the moment you can buy my teatins from Whittards, my books from all good booksellers internationally, and my ceramics from Tiffanys in New York.

My very own Mariko Shop will exclusively sell:

Limited edition signed glicee prints

And coming soon to the shop will be:

One special Christmas card  per year, pre-orderable in sets of 10, with envelopes

Mariko tape (for all your packaging needs)

Limited edition book art, printed and bound by hand

My HK range of ceramics and textiles...

introducing my portfolio

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.