hand-painted frame #2

I painted this frame with Valentine's Day in mind. Hearts and the color pink are not my usual style, but I kind of like this frame. Heh heh. Next thing you know, I'll be dotting my "i"s with little hearts. Oh dear oh dear.

handpainted frame #1

My first hand-painted frame, with the etegami that inspired it, is now listed on my Etsy shop. Maybe it will ease the agonies of winter. https://www.etsy.com/listing/177332784

a new adventure

For many reasons, I've always felt that framing my artwork before shipping them overseas was not an option for me. But when I see the photos that thoughtful customers send me after they've gone to a lot of trouble and expense to have my work professionally and elegantly framed, some vague discontent stirs in my soul. This is no less true of the frames I commonly find in Japan.

So, this year, I've decided to take a big leap and experiment with designing frames specifically for my etegami. The two frames pictured here are ones that were made for me ages and ages ago by very creative people in other fields--people who don't normally make frames. They inspire me and make me want to try it for myself. My frames won't be professional or elegant or anything like that. But they will be me. Just like the etegami.

you're the pickled plum in my rice ball

 Do you think this is getting out of hand?

more corny valentine cards

With these last two mini-cards, I've used up my stock of used "love" stamps. (sigh...). Hey! I have an idea! If you happen to have any old "Love" stamps lying around and are willing to send them to me, I'll make and send you your own mini-Valentine card, to keep for yourself or to send to someone else. My postal address is in the box at the top of my mailart gallery blog.

corny valentine cards for my family

Every once in a while I get inspired to use old postage stamps to make etegami collages. Today I was sorting through some nearly forgotten art supplies and came across a bunch of used American love-themed stamps. I immediately whipped up some very simple, half-sized (3 x 2 inches), somewhat corny, Valentine cards. The furthest thing from Great Art, but something fun to give my nearest and dearest. I used sparkly gel pens for the colored parts, but you can't tell from the scanned image.

not-your-ordinary valentine card

Shiba Shrimp Heart "I love you"

Salmon Love

moving day

 I'm thinking this would make a cute housewarming gift or change-of-address card. I've painted wormy apples before, but not with such a cheery message.

wolverine

My husband's birthday is just around the corner, and since I've been painting animals like one possessed, I thought I'd do an animal etegami for him this year. Problem is, he doesn't coo over cats or dogs or turtles or horses or pandas... not even baby pandas!

So I asked him if there was any animal he felt an affinity for. He thought for a while, and surprised me with his reply. "Wolverine," he said. "...because they are feisty and don't back down from opponents that are bigger than they are."

etegami call for artists who love japanese cuisine

a box of osechi (new year food)

THE CHARM OF JAPANESE CUISINE-- EXPRESSED IN ETEGAMI. SPONSORED BY THE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY, AND FISHERIES, IN CELEBRATION OF THE UNESCO DECISION TO REGISTER JAPANESE CUISINE AS AN INTANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGE OF THE WORLD.

ETEGAMI SIZE: 10 cm x 15 cm (approx 4 inches x 6 inches)
THEME: EXPRESS THE CHARMS OF JAPANESE CUISINE FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS 

AS THERE IS PAPERWORK INVOLVED WITH THIS CALL, I WILL BE ORGANIZING SUBMISSIONS FROM OUR GROUP AND WILL SUBMIT ALL WORKS ON BEHALF OF THE ETEGAMI FUN CLUB IN ONE LARGE ENVELOPE. YOUR NAME AND COUNTRY WILL BE WRITTEN ON THE DOCUMENTS, AND IF YOU RECEIVE AN AWARD, I WILL NOTIFY YOU AND SEND THE AWARD TO YOU AT MY OWN EXPENSE.

I recommend your sending your submission to me in an envelope, with your name and address written on both the envelope and the back of your etegami.

TO BE INCLUDED IN OUR GROUP SUBMISSION, YOUR WORK MUST REACH ME BY FEBRUARY 1. 2014. THE WORKS WILL BE "JUDGED" IN TOKYO BEFORE THE END OF FEBRUARY, AND THERE WILL BE AN AWARDS CEREMONY IN MID-MARCH. AS USUAL, THE WORKS WILL NOT BE RETURNED. SEND YOUR SUBMISSION TO ME AT :

DOSANKODEBBIE,
HIRAGISHI 2-11-1-22,
TOYOHIRA-KU,
SAPPORO 062-0932, JAPAN

If you live in Japan and would rather participate in the call directly, go to this LINK (in JAPANESE) EXPLAINING THIS ETEGAMI CALL: http://www.wa-shoku.co.jp/form.php

post-holiday blues

This is an old etegami, but some things never change, do they?

new year's day in japan

Japan has a long tradition of exchanging New Year's greetings in writing, going as far back as the Nara period (AD 700s). But it wasn't until 1873, when the Japan Postal Service began to print standardized postcards requiring less postage than an ordinary letter, that the idea of postcard greetings, called nengajou, began to catch on. In 1899, the current system of nenga yuubin (New Year mail) was conceived, in which all mail which is marked nenga (New Year's greeting) and posted within a specific time frame in December, gets delivered en mass on New Year's Day.

There are many cool things about nengajou postcards, not the least of which is how images and words are used.

Certain auspicious images are associated with the New Year holiday specifically, or with spring in general-- since New Year's Day is the symbolic beginning of spring. Images commonly used on nengajou include red-crowned cranes, Mt. Fuji, plum blossoms, and the zodiac animal that goes with that particular year. Toys like fighting spinning tops, colorful playing cards, kites, and brightly painted hanetsuki paddles may be depicted on these cards because they are among the toys that children traditionally played with during the New Year holidays. Click on the links to find out more about these toys.

Word-play abounds in nengajou. A card with the image of a spinning top might say: May 20xx be a well-balanced year for you. A card depicting a kite might say: May you reach new heights this year.

Not all New Year's cards are etegami, of course. These days most people whip up greeting cards on their computers and printers, using stock images and formulaic words. Hand-made nengajou are all the more valued because of this.

2014 is the year of the horse. The pictures posted here are just some of the many, many nengajou that were delivered to my door early this morning. A few came from people that weren't already on my list, so I will spend the next few days painting more nengajou to send in reply to those cards. They will get delivered several days late, of course, but it is not uncommon for people to have no time to make and send nengajou until the holidays have actually started. In fact, I expect to receive the bulk of my nengajou in small batches during the next several days, until the total is two or three times the number I received today. It's the thought that counts, of course, and nengajou are a really fun way to convey those thoughts.