sugar shock

doughnuts

nanaimo bars

basil-lemon cupcakes

pistachio-almond cupcakes

chocolate eclair cake

When my friend Isabel suggested I do a series of etegami depicting baked goods, I was intrigued, because it was something new for me and I had no idea if I could do it. I found inspiration by browsing through her food photos (she's a gifted cook). It turns out baked goods are kind of hard to paint, partly because everything tends to be in shades of brown. I did my best, but failed to do justice to the food that modeled for me. Of course, Etegami is not about perfection; it's about having fun and making other people happy. So I'm okay with the results. Painting the baked goods is a lot less fattening than eating it, but my stomach did growl a lot. ;p

etegami starter kit

The Japan Etegami Society, of which I am a member, has recently come out with a very reasonably priced Etegami Starter Kit that can only be ordered through them. It contains everything you need for experimenting with traditional etegami, and at a lower cost than any other kit I've seen. If you are interested in ordering one, you can purchase it through my Etsy shop, along with some other useful etegami-making equipment. You can't buy it without first discussing the order and shipping options with me by private message on Etsy. When we come to an agreement, I will set up a reserved order for you. If there is no interest, I will probably remove the listing. As always, if you know of an online supplier of etegami supplies (especially washi cards) that has a website in English, and who is willing to ship overseas, please comment below! We are always looking for efficient ways to get etegami supplies out to you. Much of the information readers have shared here in the past is already out-of-date.

UPDATE: As of May 3, the starter kit and all the other items offered in the listing have been SOLD OUT and I have de-activated the listing. Contact me if you need something in particular, and I will try to direct you to an online supplier. 

illustration friday (return)

illustration friday (swamp)

It feels like a long time since I've painted flowers. The ones depicted above are actually not flowers, but rather a wetland plant called Lysichiton camtschatcensis (Asian Skunk Cabbage). I try to paint them every spring, and they often feature in my Easter etegami. These beautiful swamp plants bring gladness to my heart because they are one of the first to come up through the snow towards the end of northern Japan's long, long winters. The words are a quote from the American writer/philosopher Henry David Thoreau, a great lover of swamps.


The second etegami was inspired by a photograph taken by my friend Gerry. The words are my own (and were probably influenced by a half-hearted attempt to lose weight).

fifa world cup: armadillidiidae league

holes and other empty spaces (part 2)

illustration friday (shades)

I was a professional translator for thirty years before declining health forced me to leave the rat race of industrial and commercial translating. Translating is in my blood, though, and I love it with an abiding intensity. But these days, instead of translating for clients, I translate for my own pleasure, and at my own pace-- mostly literature, which is another thing I love. It thrills me to examine all the shades of meaning for a Japanese word, and choose just the right English counterpart to fit the context. (I'm very good at it. ;p)