etegami crosses borders (australia)

It's been far too long since I updated the Etegami Crosses Borders series, but I will try to correct that with this post. The motivation behind the series is to explore how etegami can (and in my opinion, should) reflect the land and culture in which it is produced. Check out my earlier posts in this series and read about etegami artists in France and Israel.

Today I want to draw your attention to the art of Carole Marshall in Australia. You may have noticed her work posted on my mailart gallery. Carole began painting etegami soon after discovering my etegami blog. She quickly grasped the basic concepts, and it wasn't long before she had developed her own unique style and approach to etegami. I think her choices of subjects, accompanying words, and even the colors she uses, effectively reflect the land she lives in. Lately she's been painting uniquely Australian animals. I encourage you to visit Carole's entertaining blog at Origa-me Origa-me and see more of her etegami.

sketchbook project 2012 (second tale)

The Fox's Song is one of my favorite Ainu yukar, because it doesn't seem to take itself too seriously. And yet it is a morality tale like all the others. I'm not real happy with the shadows in the scanned image. The further I get into the sketchbook, the more the pages get ruffled or warped, or whatever you call it. (p.s. My avatar, the ladybug, and its flippant comments are not in the original yukar)

sketchbook project 2012 (first tale)

I wrote about what I had in mind to do for the Sketchbook Project 2012 in an earlier post, but I find that as my sketchbook takes shape, I've had to make minor adjustments to my original concept. It is, however, taking shape, and that's the important thing. I am posting the first of the four yukar tales ("the river otter's song") that make up my new project. I hope it grabs your interest enough that you will come back to see more. :p

drift ice tour map

When the water of Siberia's great Amur River flows into the Sea of Okhotsk, it freezes into chunks of ice. These chunks bump into each other and combine into ever-larger chunks which drift southward to the coast of Hokkaido, Japan from mid-January to March. Those who are willing to brave Hokkaido's frigid winter temperatures can experience this silvery-blue wonderland of ice, and the rich and varied ecosystem that accompanies it.

I submitted this to They Draw and Travel, like I did the other three maps. I hope they're not getting sick of me. :p

And since this phenomenon occurs year after year, I've decided to let this count as my Illustration Friday submission for the topic "perennial."

another hokkaido map

Daisetsuzan (also called Taisetsuzan) National Park is located in the mountainous center of the northern Japanese island of Hokkaidō. At 2267.64 square kilometers, Daisetsuzan is the largest national park in Japan. The Japanese name means "great snowy mountains," and it is often called "the roof of Hokkaido." But the name the indigenous Ainu gave these mountains is "the playground of the gods." You can see it and lots of other maps at the They Draw and Travel website. If you missed my previous map post, click here. I just looooove Hokkaido. : )

light conversation

I just had to paint this today, after watching a documentary this morning about lightning bugs and how they communicate with each other. :p

illustration friday (stay)

Here are two illustrated maps I made to submit to They Draw & Travel. I thought they would be appropriate for this week's IF topic, because beautiful Hokkaido is where I hope to stay for the rest of my life. And if you ever come to visit, you probably won't want to leave either.

Btw, those flowery marks on the Hokkaido map I made by stamping inked cross-sections of okra.

don't give up your dreams

This is the song that inspired the orange wedges etegami collage in my last post. The one where the Japanese words say Shine as Only You Can Shine. For you, @plum.

pieces of sunshine

I've been so busy painting citrus fruit this week that I didn't have time to develop an idea for Illustration Friday (this week's theme=remedy). However, I noticed that my daughter, who promptly caught a cold upon arriving in relatively cool & dry Hokkaido from hot & humid Nagoya, has been chomping on some kind of Vitamin C-rich nutritional supplement. So let my etegami oranges count for the Vitamin C that my daughter is absolutely convinced is a "remedy for the common cold."

The writing that accompanies the sliced blood orange etegami above says "sawayaka," the Japanese word for refreshing or invigorating. It's a word that is often used to describe a cool breeze that revives you on a hot day, or how a slightly tart, refreshing drink tastes when you’re terribly thirsty.

The writing on the etegami collage below that one is a quote from one of my favorite songs of encouragement by singer/songwriter Takako Okamura. The song itself is titled “Don’t Give Up Your Dreams,” and the quote (which comes in the middle of the song) translates roughly to Shine As Only You Can Shine. The orange wedges were painted on a washi card, then cut out and glued to the cover of an antique book of Japanese singing poems (shigin) printed with gold birds in flight.

fun with starfish

The beach no longer plays a part in my summers, but it certainly did when I was a child, and that mental connection seems to be permanent. Starfish, jellyfish, and shellfish keep popping up in my latest artwork.

This week, the fascinating shapes, colors, and "postures" of starfish inspired some humorous etegami.