I visited Masaki and his family today. Every year around this time they display their art in a coffee shop/art gallery. For those of you who are not yet familiar with their art, they work in paper. Everything they do is made of Japanese washi. They make their frames out of wire, and then begin layering on the paper, shaping the product as it goes along. Each and every piece of hair or scale is an individual piece of paper that has been pre-made, then glued on. Once the form is complete they colour it with a natural lacquer from grasses, trees, persimmon trees and the such. Then they use a natural finishing lacquer to give it the shine, the depth, the shadow and the glow.
Carrie, Jen, and Paula have seen their work first hand. I hope that more of you one day will have such an opportunity to see, touch, smell, and be amazed at the work they do.
This year, Masaki created these battling bulls that you can see at the top of the page. The colouring base is persimmon tannin that has been fermented. There are approximately 10 coats of this persimmon coating, followed by many more coats of special lacquer from the Japanese lacquer tree (which is highly allergenic).
Prices of product vary from $50 to $3,000 depending upon the size, and complexity of the product. Some may think that smaller means much cheaper, but due to the complexity of the work, that is not always the case. For example, the smaller the dragon, the more finely detailed the scales, etc. must be, thus the work becomes more complex.
If you would like to see more photos, please visit my flickr by clicking on the image below and following the link. I love you!
Cam
P.S. I have asked this in the past, but if anyone is connected to an art gallery or some rich person who likes to work on this kind of thing as a philanthropic gesture, by all means please introduce us!
I really wanted to put their work on Etsy, but I am not allowed to do so. Masaki would have to do it himself, without a representative, but with no English skills whatsoever, it just isn't possible. I guess I could become him... but he needs an email address and these days, Max doesn't even have an internet connection! And he doesn't care!! Yes, he really is THAT analogue.
I LOVE LOVE this stuff.
ReplyDeleteI wish i could see it in a gallery like that.
I'm going to research some ways... give me some time.
I'll get him and his beautiful work here, by hook or by crook.
Thanks, Jen. Me too! That is why I support them by buying a new eto (12 animals) every year. I have two left, and then I will have all 12 animals! That means I will be finished by Jan 1, 2010. Wow....
ReplyDeleteThe year of the dog (inu-doshi) eto is Tug. Masaki took an image of Tug, as he was when we took him snowshoeing up a high mountain, and made an eto of him, with his signature chain and all. It really is the spitting image of Tug. Masaki and Kidoura san stopped, but I wanted to go further. Tug followed me for a while, in my deep snowshoe prints, but he finally stopped. I climbed the rest of the mountain alone and he stayed where he was for my return. When I came back, he was soooo happy. Needless to say, in the car, on the way home he slept all the way. He was no longer a spring chicken at that time, so I imagine it was a very difficult climb for him as there was a lot of snow and he had to follow in our tracks, but sometimes ON our snowshoes!
I
Miss
Tug
....
I miss him too... remember...
ReplyDeleteIt was he who brought me to you!
I will forever love him for that.
Have a good sleep, Mou!
*sigh* I never knew him and I miss him! You tell such wonderful stories about Tug!!
ReplyDeleteBTW, I LOVE their owls! They are just adorable!! I have a friend who has a friend that collects things from Japan (namely kimonos). Next time I see her I'm giving her the site address to your Etsy site.
Thanks, Tornado! Much appreciated. I don't have a lot of movement over there...
ReplyDeleteOh, the stories I could tell of Tugaboo!
I WILL sleep well, Jen. Thanks.
He does amazing work. I think what baffles me most is that it is made out of paper. What does the end product actually "feel" like?
ReplyDeletewonderful you should be hi pr man you could sell ice to eskimos..co syou sell it from the heart love ya joolsx
ReplyDeleteI just think Max is so cute! *swoon*
ReplyDeleteOh... I thought the bulls were nuzzling... like... a momma and a baby.... the one on the left looks like it's smiling.... so... well.. yanno.. maybe that's just a great indication of where my head is these days? Not fighting, butting heads.. but nuzzling and loving.
his work is beyond beautiful
ReplyDeleteStefnee - I know. That was the exact thing I thought when I saw them... but I really didn't want to tell him that. He tried to throw me out when I told him that the tail on the shiba dog he made was about 1/4" too short....
ReplyDeleteJennifer - light... very light... it's one of those things where your brain has trouble dealing with it because you expect a completely different feel. You should see my bonsai tree made entirely out of paper... including the rock that sits at the base and the pot itself!
Jools - How about teatime to the Brits?
Amazing work. I remember their talent from previous blogs here and on 360.
ReplyDeleteAre your drinking tea out of tiny cups in the above photo!? Or coffee.......or saki?
Saki is an alocholic beverage, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteYou're so cute, Linda....
ReplyDeleteWhat.....Jen...is it? Whay am I cute? How wrong did I get it?
ReplyDeleteJen...Jen!?
I miss you young lady.
When are we going to do Woodstock again???
HEY...Linda you'd know the answer if your computer does what mine just did...
ReplyDeleteI placed the cursor on the picture and a caption came up...
"two guys sharing a mocca pot outside a coffee shop..." (somethin like that).
I didn't know my puter did that!!!
Cool!
Sake... is indeed an alcoholic beverage, Cutie.
ReplyDeleteSake.....OH!
ReplyDeleteThanks Jen.
NEATO!!!!
ReplyDeleteI just tried it.
Mokka pot??
The mokka pot is that little italian coffee pot that I showcase in several of my adventures. Remember the video, "Coffee makes your head smart"? That one. I take it mountain biking and we make coffee with the wild monkeys. They prefer sugar.
ReplyDeleteHere you go. I just took this photo for you right this very instant! (closeup of my baby blues on Flickr.....)
I love you!
Linda - Still saving your ume shu for a special occasion? It's going to be almost a year now!
ReplyDeleteMax and his family are incredibly talented. I remember trying to get some of this art in Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum. Have a look and see if you aren't inspired to contact them. http://www.lywam.org/
ReplyDeleteI also think the owner of Evolutions in Design would love it. Check them out: http://www.evolutionsindesign.com
Thanks, Robin. I'll take a look and see what I can figure out.
ReplyDeleteThat is some beautiful work and very time consuming. Pass this along to the they are true artists; let them know that I really enjoyed seeing the work... Thanks for sharing Cam.
ReplyDeleteWill do, Jalopy! You can see all of the photos I have taken here:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.flickr.com/photos/camswitzer/collections/72157600280752159/
About all that I can do in the artistic world is paint ceramics; never could draw a straight line with a ruler.
ReplyDeleteWill check out the flickr site.... peace
Jalopy - Who needs straight lines? They are about as boring as missionary-style intercourse!
ReplyDeleteYes. I put it in my refrigerator to chill when I thought I had a special occasion a few months ago....it is still in there. Is the ume shu still good?
ReplyDeleteWhy thank you for the photo!
ReplyDeleteAnd thank you for refreshing my memory about the mokka pot.
Camalicious.....
Morning, Linda. All I can suggest is that you open it up, and enjoy it! It is after all, liquor, which I think can last for many years (especially if kept refrigerated).
ReplyDeleteI love you!
yup two sugars pleasexx
ReplyDeleteHow do you come up with all those funny come backs? Wish I was that fast on my toes.....lol
ReplyDeleteJalopy - You can be faster if you run on all fours, like kids do (and I still do) when going quickly up stairs at home, rather than just on your toes.
ReplyDeleteI will have to try that.... needed that today, a good laugh. thanks.
ReplyDeleteJalopy - Just watch what you're doing. When I was young I missed placing a hand, and took the corner of the stairs on my chin. It resulted in a lifelong scar there, and probably 10 years of not being able to see blood of any kind without breaking into an autonomic gagging mode. Thank goodness that is over.
ReplyDeleteThe blood I understand; my little nephew fell onto the step in the kitchen and split his lip; whew to much blood for me; then my grandmother got out one day and fell in the stream and put a really bad purple, black puffy yucky bruise on her leg, just about passed out just looking at it, no blood....just the color of the bruise, just about did me in...
ReplyDeleteI am back... and I love that your Mokka pot is stained. I try to keep mine clean. but.... yanno.. coffee and all....
ReplyDelete*sips coffee*
I miss sharing a pot with you, Wouk! In the early morning on my porch..... Think I'll go sit out there now.
I love you!
Weird.... my phone buzzed... it woke me up...Mayu was calling me..... I went upstairs and she explained a very elaborate nightmare...
ReplyDeleteYes, they do get stained after time, and even cleaning won't keep them shiny. I keep mine as clean as it will be, but boil it dry a few times... make coffee and forget to put water in it once in a while... and funny things happen to the aluminum. It also seems to taste better like this, compared to when it is brand spanking shiny like it used to be. Maybe it is kind of like the teapot thing... I dunno.
See you on the porch!
I love you!
... damn good thing she did, too otherwise I'd be asleep here at the computer all night and probably wake up in the middle of the night with a broken neck or something. Ugh. That's what happens when you have ramen for lunch (lots of noodles), and then garlic toast at dinner....
ReplyDeleteOh, da horra! Da horra!
Mmmmm... garlic toast...
ReplyDeleteI want foood... can't eat til later.
Oy!
If you made the coffee in the parking lot, what was your source of heat?
ReplyDeleteI own a french press, however you and Stef have me thinking about Moka Pots now....
Abby - I always carry a teeny little backpacker campstove ... the kind that screws onto a little propane canister. Always. And I carry the smallest gas canister, too... basically the kind that is about the size of ... a moderate-sized breast!
ReplyDeleteMoka pots seriously make the BEST coffee, Abby (and I highly recommend you buy segafredo, or Ily, or Lavazza pre-ground coffee. The taste is perfect, with absolutely NO leftover sourness that goes with most regular coffees)
I have a little SEVA, although I bet work wouldn't want me to cook up coffee in my office...hee hee!
ReplyDeleteI probably should throw it in the car. I actually got it for the earthquake kit....for just in case.
Well, now you have a real REASON to pull out that kit! Earthquakes? Pshaw! But Coffee! now there's a REAL reason to have that stuff handy!! I love you.
ReplyDeletehmm i wonder if my breasts are the size of your gas canisters?
ReplyDeleteheh!
Love Max's work. truly an artist!
I would love to see the Tug version that Max did. Such a sweet little dog! I bet you do miss him. Our labrador is getting so old now. She's almost 12 yrs and slowing down a lot in the last few months. I think our time with her will be ending soon. So sad.
Good "seeing" you. Take care - Amy
P.S. - trying to get back to my health goddess status....