More works went to loving homes for Christmas!

Less than one week to Christmas. I'm a bit surprised how quickly time has gone, especially I have been unwell for most of December so far. But I'm finally on the mend. I hope I am not starting jinx! Whenever I said I feel better, I got ill again in the past. I hope this time I nailed it down!

Quite a few works have gone to new homes since the last post. Thank you so much!

Aya have gone to a lovely lady. The model is one of my school friends. She was a book worm, and we used to talk about the books we have read during breaks. Now she is an assistant professor in literature in Japan.

Aya

The girl with a shield bug has gone to a lovely gentleman. She is my first piece with an insect. I am not very keen on them, but I have admired the beauty of shield bugs. Besides, they are stubborn. They don't know how small they are. If you try to move it, it will put its feet down!

Girl with a shield bug jewellery

The fourth crow has flown to a loving home. After making a few for the first time, I loved them so much. I made more. They look cool on wood mounts.

The large crow on the right has gone to a crow lover. The ones on the highest and lowest mounts are still available. 

The little lamb is so sweet. I squealed when I made her. Wouldn't you? : )

Lamb

I have finally made a Newsletter sign-up form online. I am not frequent sender, but I'm aiming at 3-4 Newsletters in 2016.  If you have left your details at one of the shows, you are on the list. Please do sign up if you would like to hear up-to-date event news.

   

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Three of the latest masks found lovely people!

This girl is going to a lovely lady in the US tomorrow.

And this girl went, with the last blackbird and chicken, to a lovely lady in the US.

I made a special box for them.

Blackbird

Pumpkin the chicken

Pomona now lives with a lovely young lady in Scotland. Pomona was the gift to the lady from her loving uncle and aunt for graduation. How lovely! 

A ladybird on the apple! 

Thank you so much!

Are you interested? I have pinned other masks on one of my boards on Pinterest. Do have a look!

http://uk.pinterest.com/midoritakaki/my-sculptures-2015/

Frog Princess and the first bisque-firing of the year!

This morning, Mike and I took our dogs to Post office to send Frog Princess mask to a lovely lady in France. It was a bright nice wintry day. We enjoyed walking together! Although there are so many sellers on Etsy, I was only one who was listing a work called Frog Princess on it! I am so grateful to those who share my quirky taste in art!

Frog Princess - sold

I did the first firing of the year yesterday. As there was not enough height to add the third shelf, I had to crammed the top shelf. A Tokyo commuting train came to my mind! :D

Lower shelf

Top shelf. 

I'm pleased to say the firing went well. Here are some of bisque on my shelf in the studio. They are classified according to glazes.

Bisque on my shelf 

New works available in Cecilia Colman Gallery

How was your week? I have had tight head for almost a week now. Monday, I stayed in the bed, and then afterwards, it became more tolerable, but still miserable. Today, after lunch I went to London to deliver my work to Cecilia Colman Gallery. I thought the one thing I can still do with the tight head is delivering works!

Cecilia Colman Gallery is in St John's wood high street, a leafy area of north west London.

Large Duchess of Noisette (about 19cm tall 15cm wide)

Duchess of Noisette - Large

Here is the comparison with the medium size. Although they have similar style, the characters come out differently, as you can see.

Medium (left) and large Duchess of Noisette

Three angels are available there, too.

They also stock my larger bronze-gold whippets and rabbits. Please do pop in, if you are in London!

Cecilia Colman Gallery:  http://www.ceciliacolmangallery.com/

Ice Queen

What would you do if your bank upset you at the end of the year, and you had to ring them at almost 1 o'clock in the morning? And you didn't do anything wrong.

Fury

I don't get very angry so often. But that night all my body, especially fingers and feet became very cold because of the anger. Some people get hot and red when they are angry. I am opposite. Then an image of ice queen came to my mind. 

When I woke up, I made this mask.  

Fury

Did my anger go down then? Not really, although it doesn't surface. A polite letter will be sent to the bank before too long, and probably with this photo. 

Looking on the bright side, over the last three days I have been busy making little rabbits. As all the rabbits are gone and I couldn't make any on the full moon night; I was unwell, I'm making them in the daytime; I can't wait for another full moon night. Then an odd one crept in. Huh? He tried to blend in with the flock. It is sad to reject him. So he will stay. : )  

Lots of rabbits and one disguised

 

When they are not modelling for a photo shoot, they are resting like this, so that they won't get broken.  : ) 

Duck! 

That's it today. See you soon! 

New masks in Clouds part 2

Hello everyone. How was your day? We have run errands from morning until mid afternoon. Since then, I have made more little ones. I keep on making, so I don't let 'dark clouds' creeps into my life.

Yesterday I saw an old lady whom I sometimes meet during dog walks. She was alone. So I asked her where her dog was. She had to put him to sleep due to pancreas disease. She said she has misses him. We both became tearful. She said she has to keep going, so now she trots by herself. I promised her to have a chat when we meet again. I know her late dog's name, but not hers. It is time to get to know her. She lives alone and she is 78 years old.

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I went to Sidney cooper gallery to deliver one of the sculptures this afternoon. It was very nice to see visitors smiling when they see my works. This brightened my heart.

I haven't shared all photos of my new work in the show yet. So I will upload the rest over a couple of posts.

Empress

Empress - details

My masks were inspired by African tribes, the Surma and the Mursi as well as Old Chinese paintings. African tribes decorate their faces and bodies in very artistic way. They look very wild yet beautiful. If that is not art, I don't know what art is. I wanted to create something wild and strangely beautiful, too.

Then I somehow made Empress, which reminds me of old Chinese court ladies. When I made her, I wanted to visit Chinese paintings exhibition in V&A; I booked tickets. So that must had been in my mind.

Poet

Poet -details

He is more influenced by the body art of African tribes. But I also feel a bit of ancient European civilization in him. I love his hair, Empress's and Forest boy's. The style is new to me, and I am very happy with them. I would like to play more on the textures in near future.







    

New masks - part 2

Hello everyone. I am building my website lately when I find spare moments. It was overdue. I wanted it to be ready before the MA show in early September. Main framework is done. I am still thinking how to show my work on it. Flickr is one option. Its advantage is that it allows me to upload almost unlimited images. I will let you know once it is done.

Today I will continue to show you more of my new masks in Clouds. 

Rabbit mask

This is another experiment. I keep making something new. It is a risky strategy, but to feel fresh, I need discoveries and excitement. When I stop any experiments, it would be probably the time I stop ceramics.

Different angle

I am very pleased with this mask. I love textures, patterns and colours. Jane, the studio tech calls my finishing 'painting'. It has evolved this way, and I enjoy doing it.

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Origin of transformation

This is my idea of Gandhara. The beautiful young male sculptures in Gandhara had changed its appearance as the image had traveled to east about 1700 years ago. When it has reached Japan in the 6th century, it had already East Asian appearance, older and fatter, very different from the original image.

To Japanese, the Silk road is the path to the origin of lots of things, including Buddhism. I have always wished I could travel on the Silk road. This mask carries my dream.    

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I am looking for my father

    

This mask has a model. The old lady comes to our door several times in last four months. She announced 'I'm looking for my father' when Mike answered the door for the first time. The second time she was looking for her friend. She insisted that she left her friend in our lounge. I told her that nobody came on that day. She asked if she could see inside the room. 'Of course. Please have a look.' Only Topaz barked at her. She leaned her neck, 'How strange! I surely left her on your sofa!'. I told her to go home and have a nice cup of tea because she was tired and a bit confused. She nodded. I asked her if she could go home by herself. She said 'Yes'.

I have been interested in dementia as my own parents are old and getting forgetful, and also a gentleman I have known for a couple of decades was diagnosed with Alzheimer. Ordinary things they used to do became impossible things to do. As a Japanese woman, I am likely to live for a long time. Dementia is not other people's problem. It is likely to be my problem.

This mask is the old lady, my mother, Mike's mother, myself, and all people who are suffering and will suffer from dementia.

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I have created my first work for part 2 Calm. I have been working on an image for a couple of months. Now finally I could make it appear.

New work

She is going to be on a large mount that I had reduction fired several months ago. She will also have a wing. She is a cloud. 

Close-up

         

My new dog wall mask and Oare marsh

Hello everyone. We had a hot afternoon here in Canterbury. Late afternoon, I popped into the studio to collect fired works.  I had two kilns on, and both went well. There were three glossy chameleons, three wall masks as well as other things. I have listed one of them this evening. It is a dog mask. You would imagine I made a whippet. Not so, this time.

My new dog wall mask

 
The brown glaze has delicious colour! It is my new glaze. I love him! I don't know exactly which breed he is, but I feel he has a bit of terrier. He is on my Etsy shop now.  

Side view

I have also listed two more works. If you haven't checked my shop recently, have a look at my new works!

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Mike, who is in the middle of 10-day-leave, went to Oare Marsh, near Faversham, this afternoon. It is one of our favourite places for bird-watching. I would have gone with him if I hadn't been this busy with my work.

As he got his new camera, he took lots of beautiful photos of Oare. Oare is the stopping place for migrating birds. Birds land here to feed after arriving from the Continent, and before heading to the Continent. So we can see lots of different birds.

Very shallow water between Oare and Isle of Sheppy. 

Always wind-swept. Little egret.

Mike was happy to see several Avocets. I like them. They are elegant slim birds with turned bills. I have seen their chicks in a wildlife park. When they are very young, they have straight bills.

Avocets

Lots of waders

Surrounding Oare is an agricultural area. They were making hay. I call them Baumkuchen. Do you know this delicious German cake? I used to have them when I was in Japan. There are definitely similarity between the cake and the hay!

A mast of a boat in Farversham creek is behind the field

I would go there to see migration in early autumn. It is a lovely view of swallows and swifts feeding over the water. But today, I have to satisfied with the beautiful photos Mike has taken.  

A walk through Canterbury to the studio

Hello everyone. I walked to the studio today. It was another glorious day. Very sunny with cool breeze.

Westgate garden - Great Stour

 Westgate garden has been open to public for about 600 years.  It is one of the oldest English parks.

Westgate

I walked through two gardens. It takes five minutes longer than walking on the High street, but what a pleasure!

The office of the Lord Mayor

A gate to the garden behind

Backside of the building

When it is hot, people relax on the lawn.  Dogs were allowed on leads. This is the place Bargain Hunt often use for their end shoot when they come to the Canterbury auction.

I exit the garden from here.

This is the a back gate house.

The great Stour diverges to two in Canterbury. This is another branch of the river. This side used to have a couple of friaries.

I spent three hours in the afternoon and a couple of hours in the evening in the studio today. Disappointingly the chicken head I built doesn't look right on the body. So I will make the head from scratch again. I usually make smaller sculptures. When I make larger works, I have to change the building method, and that's when something could go wrong. It is a learning process, but still frustrating.

These two masks are finished, and waiting for the next bisque-firing. Yes, I made another cheeky rabbit and a mask inspired by a pot I made. : ) 

Cheeky rabbit with Topaz's ear tips

 I imagined if this vase were a human. : D