things I've made

Tokyo print exhibition

Our collaborative mokuhanga print project wood + paper + box is on show until sunday at the Tokyo University of the Arts (Geidei). You can read all about it here.This is the installation, which shows a generally chronological view of our 1 year project.Each print was framed in perspex and had its own individual shelf. We showed each artwork as a physical object.This uchiwa fan is my final print. It's double-sided and when the light shines through the white jugs, you can see the reverse print pattern through it. Hope you can make it see the show!

phonograph project

I've just completed my prints for the group portfolio project Phonografik Collectivo. I was invited to join, and assigned a letter, or glyph, from the Phoenician alphabet, and asked to create an edition of prints based on its sound. I was given the glyph

which has a sound like nu-n, or noon.

I listened to the sound over and over, and realised it reminded me of the repetitive sound of oars hitting the water. I've always liked Phoenician galley boats, so I developed my work from there as a starting point.I then decided to make etchings, of scattered Phoenician coins, that featured the glyph, in a sort of minimal, hidden way. I mixed a dark green/black ink, sort of an antiquey colour, with gold highlights and details.It's going to be so interesting to see how the other participants have responded to their glyphs.

exhibition this weekend

I have a small selection of prints on show this weekend at my new printmaking studio in Dogpatch, San Francisco. If you're around, please do drop in!There are 7 printmakers showing work; all of us are 'new' at the studio.I'm showing some of my playing card prints, it's a chance to see them if you haven't yet! One day I hope to have a whole set...The show will also be open by appointment for the whole of August.

exhibition weekend in San Fransciso

Thank you to everyone who made it along to see our printmaking studio exhibition in the Mission this weekend. There was an amazing selection of prints on show, in all sorts of techniques.The opening on saturday evening was super busy and the bookshop/gallery ambience was relaxing and unusual!

slice of pear

This year I'm working on a collaborative mokuhanga project with my friends Yoonmi Nam and Katie Baldwin. We're going to give a presentation and hold an exhibition of the work we produce at the International Mokuhanga Conference in Tokyo in September. It's very exciting! Here's a preparatory sketch for my first piece of work for the project...and a test print of the colours.You can follow the group's progress on our blog woodpaperbox.

pizza cake

We went to a friend's pizza party last week and made these amazing dessert pizza cakes! The bases are sponge cakes, with coloured buttercream for the tomato sauce, white chocolate ganache for the melted cheese, fruit leather pepperoni, hollowed-out liquorice allsort olives, dried pineapple, gummy pepper pieces, and grated white chocolate for the parmesan. We used real pizza boxes from Pizza my Heart et voila!Kind of messes with your mind when you bite into it, but super sweet and tasty!

christmas lights

Things are starting to get Christmassy, and I'm getting excited. Here are two of my favourite little lights I designed for thinkgadgets. They contain mini LED lights that slowly change colour. I love Mr Moon, who isn't just for Christmas, and the snowman, that is definately more wintery...They're available in all sorts of small stores around the UK, and lots of Christmas fairs!

whale watching

I saw a whale! Actually I saw two. It was amazing. We went on a whale watching trip on a very cold foggy day in San Francisco, heading out under the Golden Gate Bridge. Even before we got far we'd seen seals and porpoises and all sorts of seabirds. But it was the lovely gray whale that made me happiest. They waved their fins, and dove down so their tails flipped out of the water... Also the murres, I loved them! Sort of like a penguin, but floating on the water. So adorable...