Hope everyone is having a relaxing winter break. I just got back from a little visit up the coast to Point Reyes National Seashore, which was chilly but oh so beautiful! We visited the Point Reyes lighthouse, and saw grey whales on their way to Baha.
In Inverness, right by the water, the sunrise glow with mist over the water, was pink and golden and like a dream...
Limantour beach was wild and empty, 
and I lay on the sand in the sunshine and painted the grasses in the sand dunes.
Really, really, can't wait to go back again and discover more!
things I've made
a little extra Christmas
Here's a cute little thing I drew for the Croucher Foundation in HK this year. Yes, that's the star ferry speeding along there, obviously in a hurry to get home for Christmas...
Christmas greetings
...from me to you! Mx
Kyushu part II
in drawings, food, japan, lifestyle, painting, people, photography, sketchbooks, things I've made, travel
From Kumamoto, we travelled by scenic train to Kagoshima, with its famous active volcano Sakurajima. We visited up close, riding the boat across the bay, watching nervously at the smoke puffing gently from the top...
We spent a day further south in Ibusuki, and visited the famous sand baths. At Yamakawa it was calm, almost tropical, and we saw another famous mountain called Kaimondake, with its perfectly conical shape.
The skies we saw over the waters were truly magical through the train windows, as we travelled along the coast.
We ate at a tiny restaurant, that specialised in local style yakitori, and the regulars were amazed to see us. These sorts of places are what make travel amazing...
From there we made our way to Kurokawa Onsen, passing by yet another active volcano, Aso san. At Kurokawa we stayed in a lovely traditional ryokan and tried many different sorts of onsen baths. We rested, and walked in the Autumnal mountains.
And then back we went to Fukuoka for one more evening of tasty food. Here's a lovely tempura place we found, dating back to the 1930's!
And then on to Tokyo, and home.
New York trip
I just got back from a quick trip to New York, where I worked on a lovely project for Dr Oz The Good Life magazine. I can't show you what it was yet, but here's a sketch I drew on the photoshoot day. 
I also drew the model several times, in various of her outfits...
The view from the studio was gorgeous, so New York!
I had a fantastic dinner one evening at the Brooklyn Diner, and sketched while I was waiting. The waitress was so happy with the sketch that she gave me a bag of delicious pastries to take home with me! 
I love New York, I really do. I'll be back soon, just you wait and see...
open studios this weekend
Today was the first day of our annual open studios at Graphic Arts Workshop. Here's the sunny studio all ready and waiting for the first visitors.
I set up my portfolios, wrapped prints and picture wall, featuring most of my newest artwork in a variety of frames.
I've been working on a new series of little prints based on the zodiac horoscope signs which are on show here for the first time.
I hope you'll all pop in to visit tomorrow, I'll be there from 11-6. Thank you to everyone who came to see us today. Happy Halloween!
open studios in a week
Next weekend: 31 Oct and 1 Nov, I'll be showing my work at the annual San Francisco Open Studios event, in my print studio in Dogpatch. You can find all the info you need about the Graphic Art Workshop here. I'll be showing new work, like this hand-detailed mokuhanga print,
and some new playing card prints like these.
Of course I'll be showing a wide variety of ceramic etchings, like this popular blue peonies print,
which you can also see at the preview show in SOMArts gallery in downtown San Francsico right now.
I do hope you can make it to the open studios, I'll be there from 11-6 on saturday and sunday. It's always nice to buy art direct from the artists! Please do come and say hello.
HK toile ceramics in tree
I went to tree interiors shop in HK this week, and loved their fantastic new display of my HK toile products.
Apparently the noodle bowl two-piece set is a best-seller, hurrah! Here is a sign they have showing all the different products.
I especially liked this way of showing the Chinese teacups...
Hope you can fit even just a little piece into your kitchens!
winter night light
I designed this wintery forest scene for a new wooden light for Thinkgadgets in London.
It's available to buy in stores across the UK, and from the Spirit of Christmas. It comes in a natural wood or painted white finish and is 15" wide.
It's super cute and friendly when the starry lights are shining through it!
Hmmm, wonder who might like it for Christmas this year...
Kansas visit
I've just got back from a wonderful visit to Kansas. I spent a day doing a spot of teaching at Emporia State University and giving a presentation there. Here's a great poster one of the students made for my talk:
I went to Lawrence, to set up a collaborative exhibition with my friends Yoonmi Nam and Katie Baldwin at the new Wonder Fair gallery downtown.
We had our opening on saturday evening, which was super busy and fun!
We showed our project wood + paper + box, along with a special silk-screened poster of our complete box (available to buy from Wonder Fair).
We each also had space to show our own individual work. Here's mine, hung salon style.
The show will be up until mid November, so please do pop in and take a look if you're nearby!
stationery set
I've collaborated with my friends Katie Baldwin and Yoomni Nam on a hand-printed paper stationery set for Wonderfair's Letter Writing Club, in Lawrence, Kansas. 
This is a photo of all the elements before they're packed together. I made the letter sheets with envelope, and also did the calligraphy for the top label (which Katie then screenprinted). The letter sheets are relief printed in green/gold. Here's the gold block,
and the tests I printed to choose exactly the colour that would work.
Here's the final set all put together. They'll be for sale at the club, and then afterwards at Wonderfair. 
The club meetings are held regularly, to encourage good ol' fashioned writing letters, and we'll all be attending the next one on Sunday 20th September. Hope to see you there!
coffee and jug print
I've been working on some Japanese woodblock prints recently, and thought I'd show a few process photos. Here's my initial sketch...
I then carved and sanded the wood plate and did the printing in three colours.
I wasn't happy with the line showing the rim of the jug, so I carved it out, and printed extra layers of a more brushy look on top of the original flat dark areas, to add some depth and texture.
And voila, the finished print.
birthday!
It's my birthday weekend, yay! We had a picnic in the park...
...where we ate many tasty cakes and enjoyed the sunshine.
So wonderful to spend time with friends. Thank you all!
summer solstice
Today is the longest day of the year, the summer solstice (for us in the northern hemisphere). This is an illustration I made for the poet Dick Russell who commissioned a set of cards for his summer and winter solstice poems. I picked elements from the poem and did a watercolour painting in summer greens...
Happy Midsummer everyone!
social media update
Hello! I'm finally upping my social media presence, and am now on twitter and instagram, as well as facebook. Tweet me, follow me, and let's all be online more together. Here's a sample of what you could be seeing on instagram every day...
I'll still be blogging, I've grown to love this weekend ritual, but there'll be extra treats to see mid-week on other platforms, hurrah!
kokeshi
I've been trying to do more mokuhanga, and recently completed this print of Japanese kokeshi dolls for my new collaborative project with Yoomni Nam and Katie Baldwin.
This time we're calling our project alabama + california + kansas. You can find out more on our blog. We'll again be travelling to visit each other in our studios in these locations, and sending work to each other.
Here's a pic of the wood block for this print, as I was carving it.
HK toile ceramics
Here are some lovely photos of my HK toile ceramics, showing the Chinese tea time set, with rice and soup bowls, dipping plates, chopstick holders and spoons! 
The ceramics are available in contemporary red or traditional blue, and feature little details like egg tarts and dim sum in the middle.
You can buy them directly from faux and tree in HK, along with a few other retail outlets. Sik fan!
Huntington Library
The Huntington Library, near LA, is a beautiful botanical gardens and art gallery/museum. I recently designed an exclusive toile pattern for them, to use on a variety of products to sell in their new museum store, which has just opened. This lovely paper parasol, with wooden handle, is available now!
When I was commissioned for this project, I visited the gardens, took photographs and did sketches...
and then designed this repeat toile featuring many of the elements I saw there. I especially loved the Japanese bridge, the rose gardens and the cactus gardens.
The parasol has been featured in Romantic Homes magazine.
It's available to buy in the museum store or online here. Look out for more products with this pattern, coming soon!
Mission window display
I've just installed a display in the artspace window next to Alleycat Books in the Mission in San Francisco, on 24th and Treat. I wanted to create the illusion of looking into an interior, playing with various layers and dimensions.
I drew an illustrated black and white backdrop of a Victorian parlour, looking through to several more rooms. I hid little details in the drawing to create stories: portraits, a lady by the fire, a statue of a rabbit, a cat’s tail, a stuffed bird under a glass dome. I played with depth within the drawing itself, and then added to it by hanging real framed pictures on the drawn walls.
The framed pieces are etchings of ceramics and a portrait, echoing the subject matter within the backdrop. They're full of patterns, creating a layer of patterned artwork on top of patterned wallpaper.
One of the difficulties was fighting the un-removable grafitti on the glass. By creating a detailed pattern, I hope I've managed to distract the eye!
Please go and take a look if you're around. It should be up for 2 months.
