Thank you for being here! Come take a walk with me. I hope this space will be a place for a little more depth into my work, life, and creative practice. A place where I can be a little more myself than on Instagram. It has taken me quite a while to work up the courage to get a newsletter set up. I am an excellent procrastinator. For quite a while I avoided the task, mostly because I don’t think I have a lot to report on:
I don’t have zoom classes to offer; I have terrible stage fright with zoom and teaching in general. I’m not great with linear thinking either and the thought of organizing a course doesn’t interest me. I don’t want to run a virtual stitching group; I like my solitude. I don’t fit the mold I think of a middle aged woman who does embroidery work. I’m a little rough around the edges, a little too blunt. I talk too loud and swear too much to offer something that would be calming or nurturing. I don’t have any big exhibition plans. I didn’t go to art school, so I’m learning as I go how to have a real, fancy exhibition. With white walls and good lighting. One day!
But good things do fall in my lap sometimes. In December I was invited to join the group exhibition known as “Hito no Wa” in Osaka by my friend Akio (@sugusaw0624) on Instagram. Nearly all the participants were fashion designers or vintage shop owners, so I felt like a bit of a hanger-on, but it was a great time meeting so many like-minded people in such a beautiful location, and a good reminder that if I keep showing up, good things tend to slowly show up for me in turn.
One of the reasons I like to take long walks in any city, but especially Japanese cities, big ones like Osaka, is that the buildings and architecture are so unique and interesting. There is so much character packed into each building. If you compare the original image of this cute building to the embroidered one on the right, I think you can see where the inspiration for my more abstract work comes from. And obviously, the colors are what got me.
Sometimes you run into something that makes me think “Only in Japan”. In Osaka on the street called Dotombori there are a lot of touristy restaurants and shops, and they’re all trying to outdo each other with advertisements. This one place had this literal bouquet of giant crab claws outside. They were bigger than me! I tried to capture the color using my favorite natural dye color, safflower, and the movement and energy they had arching upwards. I’ve been using white thread more and more because it doesn’t overpower the beautiful fabric.
I have been slowly reinvestigating the city post covid, and making more of an effort to take advantage of all the events and activities that I’m lucky enough to have access to. Seeing Olafur Elliason’s work for the first time was quite a trip. Very experiential like something you might encounter on the island of Naoshima, and all the interactive art there. If you’re curious about his work, or would like to check in on this very cool new museum it was held in if you are ever in Tokyo Check it out here.
Here are some good things:
John Lurie’s autobiography, The History of Bones on audiobook. His voice is iconic. Although I don’t think I would have survived long in New York in the 70s and 80s, I’m obsessed with that era and location, the grittiness of it, and all the artists and their stories from that time. Lurie’s tales don’t disappoint.
While you’re at it, John Lurie’s show “Fishing with John” and his newer show “Painting with John” are also gems. He’s an excellent story teller.
The Chemical Brother’s new album For That Beautiful Feeling is a lot of fun and energizing. I’ve been listening to it on repeat while working. So good!
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