“Wherever you go becomes part of you somehow”
I believe that the short trip to Japan has definitely become a part of me somehow :)
I played with my new inkstick and inkstone for the sketch and marks and added a piece of a paper bag from a store.
I had to use it- although I am not quite sure what it depicts. I flicked some gold with a brush and added the journaling with a fude pen.
Here are some of the supplies I used for this Art Journal page:
Japan was so so amazing – I am back now for a couple weeks and still so full of all the inspiration and impressions of this trip. I want to share some with you in a couple upcoming posts- this one is from our time in Tokyo. We were there a couple days in the beginning of our trip and a couple of days at the end.
This is a corner of the area where the Imperial Palace is located -you can only get into the palace if you apply for tickets way in advance for a certain day and time -but just walking through the park surrounding it was just beautiful.
Love those trees!
Koi everywhere – gigantic buggers- and to be honest, I am not actually a fish-person- LOL- I love their marks and colors- very cool!
Beautiful bridge iron work.
We were a couple days too early for a full cherry blossom bloom – Sakura -but some cherry blossoms and also as above magnolia were already out -so beautiful!
One of the many beautiful temple we saw. This one is the Hie Temple in Akasaka – I love the colors and all the details- the beautiful roofs.
Subway art – so beautiful!
Little electric cars zipping around at the Tsukiji Fish Market, which is one of the largest wholesale food markets of any kind. Watching those cars cruising around at the market is watching like a little ballet – it was fun …btw at 6am in the morning because jet lag said- hey- just get up and going ;)
The Meiji Shrine is located in a beautiful forest – the Torii (gate above) is leading to the Shrine.
Colorful Sake Barrels on the way to the shrine, which are offered every year to the enshrined deities by nationwide brewers.
The Shrine – very empty as it was again early in the morning – see jet lag has some perks- ;)
We were actually witnesses a traditional Japanese wedding. At a Shinto reception, the bride will get married in a long white kimono. Then she may come to the reception in a colorful, embroidered kimono, then change into a Western-style white wedding dress, and then into an evening gown or a party dress. phew I get tired just reading all this- but hey it was sure really beautiful to look at.
Such a beautiful door at the Shrine! We visited even more Shrines and Temples- but hey- before you get Temple Fatigue I am saving more pictures of those for my special post from Nara for later :)
Did I mention that jet lag was a real troublemaker this time? Well 14 hours time difference were just not easy to deal with…but …well…you can actually see the busiest pedestrian crossing of the world – Shibuya Crossing – from a cafe window without ANY people on a Sunday morning- LOL. You might know it also from a scene in “Lost in Translation” – and boy I experienced the totally crowded crossing during rush hour in the middle of the week- woot what an adrenalin kick :)
There is actually a life camera of the crossing- check out if you are watching at actual rush hour- LOL otherwise it is boring ;)
Total nuts- telling you ;)
My husband was at a conference for a couple days and on one of the days I was on my own I actually took a Japanese Cooking Class. It was so much fun! I will tell you more about it in a different post- but I can highly recommend doing it through Airbnb Experiences with Yukari- From Market to Meal . It was a highlight of the trip and I already cooked several of the things I learned back home.
This man making water drawings was so cool – I loved this – he would ask people what their favorite animal is and then start drawing. And no…he did not want any money although he deserved it – he just did it for fun …so delightful!!!
a little walk over to the Asahi Brewery – not really for the beer but for the view and definitely a cheaper view than from the sky tree. The brewery building with the golden thing on top designed by Philippe Starck is supposed to be a flame. Well…it is also know as “Golden Turd” or the “Poo Building” …go figure- lol
And I cannot resist showing those signs – when do you usually see a “NO Rickshaws” sign?
It was awesome in Tokyo -I am still trying to get a grip of all the inspiration. I am sure some of it will resurface in one form of the other in the future ;) Next stop is Kyoto, I hope you will join me :)
I love the photos of your trip to Japan. In less than 30 days we will be in Tokyo for one night before getting on the NCL Jewel. Did you have any problems obtaining cash, yen? Did you have any problems using a credit card. Thanks for your help. We are staying at the Keio Hotel just one night.
Judi Vreeland
Judi, you will have such a great time :) There are ATM’s at the airport for the first money change and throughout the city of course as well. Credit cards were accepted in big department stores but cash is a better option for most restaurants etc. So I would advice getting a yen at the airport when you arrive to be save. Have a great time.
The door at the Shrine!!! The trees! Awesome inspiration all around you in Japan for sure.
So glad you enjoyed it Sue !!!
Loved your photos. The sights and colors look amazing! Thanks for sharing.
Jean
thanks for checking it out Jean!
“The Wild and the Tame wrestle in me, neither win, neither want to.” Tyler Knott Gregson
Love this poem – so true!
I used some of my old calendar pages with my prints as collage material – and then stamped with some of my buildings stamps. I am trying to make an effort to use more of the stuff I have been collecting for some time …what is the point to wait for the “perfect” moment- just make it the perfect moment and get some space back- LOL
I love how the prints of my painting blend in with the Stroll stamps. The yellow stripe on the bottom is washi tape – I just thought I needed to pick up the yellow of the painting again and I love the effect. Since it is washi tape with really low and bad adhesive I applied some Gel Medium underneath to make sure it sticks.
I added some Viarco Graphite for color inside the buildings- I love using those- the colors are just o beautiful.
Here are some of the supplies I used for this spread
I have started to give any craft supply away that I haven’t used in over 3 years. That includes some of the “saving for the perfect” project items. Silly when I think about it. My washi tape does not stick in my art journal (over paint) so thanks for the suggestion of the gel medium.
I hear you :) It is funny how we are all little magpies collecting shiny objects – but here is to using them :)
I know what you mean about using/using up stuff you already have. I was thrilled to use up 2 glue sticks over the weekend. It’s the little things that make all the difference in my life. :-)
Wow- Janene, that is a lot of glue sticks you used up!!! Go Go Go!!!!
“But home isn’t where you land, home is where you launch!” (from An American Marriage by Tayari Jones) Even though I love living in the States and call it my home and I do not see myself going back to Germany and even though I do feel more like a European than being German…I guess home is still a city in Germany called Hamburg :) I think this is a feeling I share with a lot of immigrants and when I read this quote it really resonated with me and I knew I had to use it for an art journal spread.
I used one of my drypoint prints with the lady as a collage element – you can read more about the drypoint etching class I took here.
I stamped and layered my Stroll Through the Hood and Stroll Around the Block stamps and then colored them in with watercolor.
I painted the top of the background with golden gesso – and I really love how the gold and the watercolor play together.
Here are some of the supplies I used for the spread:
I understand what you’re saying. I grew up in Southern California and still consider it my “home” even though I haven’t lived there in over 40 years (and I’ve lived in a couple of other places in between then and where I live now). When I visit California, I’m flooded with good memories of my early life there. But my new home is fantastic in an entirely different way. Kinda like the difference between chocolate and vanilla – both are delicious, but I’d never mistake one flavor for the other!
I love your comparison with the flavors – that is beautifully put! thank you for sharing Janene!
I feel the same way. I’d never thought about it before, but I also have strong feelings about the place where I grew up. In my case, I don’t even know anyone who lives back in my old home town or the surrounding area anymore, but if I were to go back there, I suspect it would still feel like my home.
Thank you for sharing Donna- I totally understand what you mean about that it would be different but still feel like home.
Once in a while I thought I would share with you some nifty finds – like an Artist who’s work caught my eye…, Inspiration and the what, when and where that caught my eye and got my creative juices flowing and Tools & Techniques I am currently digging and what did they do that was so cool or the application that I’m taking away. Hope you enjoy this.
Here we go for this month:
I talked about Isamu Noguchi in my blog post yesterday as I went to the Noguchi Museum for an Art Stroll recently.
Isamu Noguchi, one of the most important sculptors and designers of the 20th century, was born in 1904 in the the U.S to an American mother and a Japanese father. His father was a well known poet who went back to Japan before Isamu was born. Isamu grew up partly in the States and in Japan. When he and his mother were living in Japan, he drew a house when he was 8 years old. The house combined western and eastern elements and his mother decided to have him oversee the design and construction of their new house. He became an apprentice of a carpenter and that is when he started learning how to work with wood and other materials.
His sculptures are beautiful and emotional to look at and his light sculptures are such a wonderful way of combining traditional with modern design, art with craft, and west with east. I am equally inspired by his interesting life as well as his work.
“We are a landscape of all we have seen.” – Isamu Noguchi
And this leads me to the next point on my list:
I had watched the movie “Leonie” several years ago and remember I enjoyed it, but after going to the Noguchi Museum and traveling to Japan, I rewatched it and this time it totally sparked inspiration and lots of thoughts.
The movie actually tells the story of Isamu Noguchi’s mother and her fascinating and interesting life- what a powerful woman. I also enjoyed the pictures and sceneries of the movie. Of course a lot of the plot is speculation, but maybe you find it as interesting and inspiring as I did- so I highly recommend watching it.
Currently I am totally obsessed with my inkstone and inkstick.
Inksticks are a type of solid ink used traditionally in several East Asian cultures for calligraphy and brush painting. There is so practical for traveling since you do not have to worry that an ink bottle might break and they are small and light. You basically take a little bit of water and add it to the inkstone and then grind the inkstick on top of it until you get ink that is thick and deep black. The amount of water determines how much ink you make.
I love the different gray shades that the ink from the stick creates when using it on paper. I used it for some line and mark making as well as sketching out those two ladies above. I am still practicing but I am already deeply in love with my new tools :)
See you soon again with some new nifty finds that I am currently digging !
I put Leonie on my watchlist on your recommendation.
I hope you will enjoy the move as much as I have :)
A couple weeks ago my friends and I went to the Noguchi Museum in NYC . Isamu Noguchi was an American Japanese artist (1904-1988) who is most known for his sculptures and later mass produced lamps.
Especially his lamp designs are known to many because of Ikea’s take on it – be assured though that his original lamps are so much more beautiful than Ikeas.
Loved this cloud of lamps above! the lamps are made of handmade paper on bamboo frames and they give a beautiful warm light.
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It was wonderful to see his sketchbook of lamp designs
as well as some of his molds for his lamp -they are beautiful designs by itself.
Noguchi broke the mold for the lamp sculpture below so that only one would exist- it is stunning.
Here is a video on how those lamps are to this days are handmade:
Love it!
And here you see me actually in a lamp – that was such a cool feeling the light and the paper made you feel super cocooned. I want this as my reading area- wouldn’t that be something?
My friend Heather “needed” to see how the foot was attached
I loved Noguchi’s sculptures – some are amazingly textured- some are smooth.
I also loved the sculpture garden – I can only imagine how beautiful it will be in the summer.
While we were at the museum there was also an exhibition of the work of Gonzalo Fonseca (1922–97), an Uruguayan sculptor.
His work was so intriguing and I loved looking at the little niches and engravings.
A wonderful Art Stroll through a gem of a Museum – I highly recommend it. It is a bit of a hike from Manhattan since it is on Long Island – but if you are close by- check it out! Hope you enjoyed this Art Stroll!
I also enjoyed watching the video! Thanks for sharing that!! It was amazing …
Noguchi’s lights are so delicate. I really enjoyed watching the video and what patience he used.
The sculptors made by Fonseca were fun to see and the details would make me want to study them for a while if seen in person.
Well….this was a failed attempt of trying out some foil that I had laying around forever. I applied some gel medium through my Art Deco Wallpaper Stencil and then burnished the foil on top. I was way too impatient and took off the foil too early so it didn’t apply everywhere and after a short disapproving snort I decided it wasn’t too bad – I like the sparkly mess ;)
For me creating is problem solving and if you decide there is no problem- problem solved ;) That doesn’t work always of course- LOL- but in this case it did ;)
Here are some of the supplies I used for the spread
Have a sparkling day :)
I always love your artists quotes but this one got me. Good one
LOVE this page. Did you use gouache?
Comments (2)
Sue Clarke
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Love the use of the store bag…I do that often from vacations.
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nathalie-kalbach
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Love that you do that too ! Sometimes the bag is a better treasure than the content- LOL
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