I did some quick sketches of a busy flock of cedar waxwings that were eating berries from the tree outside the livingroom window today.
I don’t often to get to see birds so close-up and I loved seeing all the details of their patterns.
They really seemed to enjoy those berries!
My solo show of prints in Burlingame Library opened this week. I didn’t have an official reception, but was there for a few hours on the 2nd day to say hello. Thank you to everyone who came down to take a look! This is the poster I made to introduce the show.
The light is beautiful in this part of the library, and the artwork looks lovely on the walls in the curved section of the reading room.
I grouped my works in categories for this show, with birds and animals, flowers, and ceramics hanging together. It made me look at them all a new way.
The show is up for the whole month, and I’ll be there on the last day to say hello. Hope you can pop in!
Last weekend, for a special treat, we went up to stay in Point Reyes, just north of San Francisco. It’s a protected seashore, and full of wonder. Once over the Golden Gate Bridge and away from the freeways, I love the winding roads through the hills and forests. After all the rain we’ve been having, the hills are unbelievably green!
We went to McClures Beach which involves a bit of a drive and then a bit of a walk…
…the beach was deserted! We sat, I sketched, and watched the waves breaking on the sand.
We stayed in a lovely airbnb cabin in Inverness that looked down over Tomales Bay. It was inexpressably relaxing to watch the colour of the sky changing as the sun set and the birds and frogs started calling.
On the way back to the peninsula we stopped in at Roy’s Redwood Preserve for a walk. It’s always good to see these gigantic trees.
One of the great things about living in the Bay Area is how easy it is get away to nature. I hope we manage to do this more this year.
Wishing you all a very happy and healthy year of the rabbit! Here’s the illustration I made for the Keswick Foundation charity this year.
I used to travel alot for my work, and now that the world is opening up again, I’m starting to travel quite a bit again. I find myself setting up my computer wherever I happen to be at the time - work deadlines don’t care where you are! Quite often I find myself working in airports, which can be surprisingly comfortable…
…but working on planes really isn’t! Because I use a drawing tablet, there isn’t the space to spread out, but sometimes I get lucky and have two seats to myself and can sort of squash sideways on two tables. The travelling illustrator life isn’t necessarily as glamorous as you might imagine.
I almost always end up taking my work with me on holiday. I do try to limit it, for the sake of a good work/life balance, but sometimes it just can’t be helped. The lovely views on holiday do make it feel better. These are some desks where I worked in Japanese houses in Goto, Nara and Okinawa.
Working from the homes of friends is by far the nicest temporary workspace to utilise. I’m forever grateful for the kindness of friends who put up with me doing this.
It’s a wonderful and magical thing that I can take my work with me around the world. But it’s also lovely to work from my own desk at home, surrounded by my own things and all the artworks that inspire me. I’m looking forward to being home for a while…
It’s my last week in London. I’ve done some fun things and spent time with family. I’ve done a few sketches (not as many as I’d like!) and seen some new things. Who knew there was a green plant-filled conservatory at the Barbican!
I visited the Ditchling Museum of Art and Craft in East Sussex, and loved seeing the ceramics of Shoji Hamada.
I really enjoyed Ditchling village, too, with its wobbly old houses and tasty old-fashioned teatime! My first time trying Welsh Rarebit.
I drew with my nieces whenever I could, and we all sketched St Paul’s Cathedral together on a trip to the Tate Modern. I’ve missed drawing with them like this…
The weather hasn’t been great - a typical British winter, but there were a few days with bright skies, and fresh air to relish.
I have a few more days, and then it’s back to the Bay Area…
I spent New Year’s eve cooking with my mum at home in the UK. We prepared our traditional osechi (Japanese new year) meal, using my grandma’s recipes, and enjoyed it with the whole family on New Year’s day.
The whole cooking process takes most of the day, with the black beans starting the night before. We even made mochi!
Hope you all had a great start to the year. Take care, wrap up warm, and let’s hope 2023 is a gentle one.
Wishing you all a wonderful holiday season!
The little stand of trees opposite my parents house in the UK looked quietly stunning in the recently fallen snow. I haven’t been back to England in the winter for many years, and snow is a treat!
One morning there was a covering of frost on top of the snow, which was crispy and fascinating…
The mist came over the fields one evening and looked spooky and beautiful. Although it’s cold, the winter can be surprisingly magical. Especially when the sun shines so brightly in a frosty blue sky.
This week I made mince pies - yes, a bit early for Christmas, but never too early for mince pies I say!
I use a pastry recipe from a good friend who is a pastry chef, with a mixture of different flours. This year’s mince came from Waitrose! One day I’ll make my own…
When I was in HK, BEYORG, the organic cosmetic company, invited me to do an interview to discuss the design of the advent box I had created for them this year.
We looked at this year’s design (in pink) and also last year’s (in pale greeny-blue)…
Here’s a tiny snippet of the interview. For the whole thing, please go to BEYORG’s instagram!
I drew a quick sketch of the box for them, although it wasn’t used in the final cut. I kind of like it. I’ve never done a sketch of my own illustrated product before!
The box is super cute, and still available in store and online here.
COPE attended the conference with the support of the World Meteorological Organization, and held a side event at the Science for Climate Action Pavilion. We hosted an inspiring panel discussion with some of our key collaborators from UNICEF East Asia and Pacific, the United Nations Major Group for Children and Youth, and the WMO. The panelists shared their opinions about the important role of children in Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and the new book.
I watched the discussion live from HK, and sketched and made notes throughout.
Lina Suarez, our COPE representative, hosted the panel, and visited the first Children and Youth pavilion, shared the COPE books and built relationships with a host of future collaborators. Hopefully COPE can continue to expand its reach and we can spread the message of disaster preparedness to children all over the world.
You can read more about COPE at the event and see more photos here.
During my time in HK I worked in several places, here are just a few of the desks I made my own temporarily!
I was really happy to go and visit Korean Beauty Secret, who commissioned a floral illustration to be used in their two new stores. It was great to get to see the venues in real life.
I also went to the offices of the CMA, to collect samples of the commemorative plates I illustrated for them in 2020. It was lovely to see them proudly displayed in their reception area.
Before my show I got my nails done by my favourite lady nailups, who took inspiration from my teapot postcard and created a set of intricate nail designs. She manages to capture the essence of my drawings and produce something magical…
And of course, I had many delicious meals with all my wonderful HK friends. One can never have enough dim sum. Thank you to everyone who made time to see me. I hope it won’t be so long until next time…
Two weekends ago, I had a show of prints and ceramics at the Vault at the Fringe Club to celebrate 25 years of my work in HK. It was hosted by faux and Feste. So many friends and clients showed up, it was wonderful!
I had my first show in HK at the Fringe in 1997…
… and it seemed fitting to have my anniversary show there this year.
I did a livesketch towards the end of the evening, when it was a bit quieter. It was lovely to sit and enjoy the ambience.
I was interviewd briefly during the event by a Japanese journalist. You can watch her vlog here and also see lots of the ceramics that were on show. All my different ceramic collections were available for the first time together.
The artwork is staying on the walls at the Vault at the Fringe until Saturday 26th November, I hope you get a chance to visit!
After almost 3 years, I’m finally back in Hong Kong. The first few days were pretty emotional, as I wandered around, soaking in the atmosphere and noting all the changes.
I stayed in a hotel for the first week, as there are still covid restrictions etc, but on the whole it wasn’t bad.
It’s been lovely to see my ceramics around town, in Feather and Bone, faux, the Mandarin Oriental and the vault.
I’ve been preparing for my retrospective at the Fringe this weekend, please do pop in if you’re around!
Hong Kong has its own particular kind of beauty, and I’ve missed it so much…
I created the illustrations for BEYORG’s 2022 seasonal box of products after last year’s was such a success. This time the box is in pink, with illustrated elements of facials, cosmetics and nature.
I did lots of initial sketches to work out a layout, and see how everything could work together, playing with the composition and style.
The illustration on the front of the box is more of a whole scene, with details sprinkled over the little drawers on the inside.
The separate little illustrations were also used on some of the promotion for the box, and I like the way they highlighted some of the products this way.
Boxes are available online here or in the BEYORG stores in Hong Kong.
After many years of wanting to visit the gardens of Great Dixter in Kent, I finally managed a trip there, and was not disappointed! There was a sunken garden, peacock topiary, wild meadows and lawns and so many incredible flowers.
I did a few quick sketches while I was there, but spent most of the time taking photos.
There were so many delightful corners and details all throughout the gardens. I don’t think I’ve ever been to such a wonderful garden. I can’t wait to visit again in the Spring next time.
I bought some botanical ink made from the plants in the garden and am really looking forward to trying it out.
I managed to do a little bit of sketching while I’ve been in the UK. We took a mini-trip to the Kent countryside, where I revelled in the lush green landscapes…
…and even visited a castle! We stayed in this adorable cottage and watched the sun setting over the hills.
Mostly though, this trip has been about home and family. This is the meal we all had together, at our regular and favourite Chinese restaurant.
This week I visited the WMO headquarters in Geneva with the whole COPE team. We introduced our books and discussed our objectives, and met the Secretary General.
We had several meetings, within the team, and with the WMO, and I sketched and made notes.
Here’s the photo we took of the WMO DRR team, the COPE team, and the Secretary General (he’s holding the Heatwaves book open on the page that features my illustration of him!)
It was great to see in real life several of the locations I drew in the book set at the WMO headquarters.
It was a real treat for us all t0 get together and meet in person. The whole of the COPE team lives in different countries around the world, so this was a rare event.
Heatwaves will be officially launched in conjunction with the WMO at the COP27 event in Egypt next month. It’s currently available in English and French.
I’m visiting my parents in England at the moment, and have enjoyed wandering in their lush green garden, both in sunshine and rain…
