illustration friday (refresh)

What a perfect IF topic for this week, as I have just started a series of etegami about herbs. Herbs refresh us in so many ways, don't you think? Lavender sachets kept in the clothes drawer, fresh basil leaves in a salad, iced mint tea on a hot summer day....
Do you grow your own herbs? How do you use them? I would so welcome your ideas.

japanese citron

A few weeks ago I received a box full of yuzu from a dear friend in Yokohama, far from the frigid, citrus-unfriendly climate of Hokkaido. She has a yuzu tree in her garden, and this is the second time she's shared this marvelous citrus fruit with me. Yuzu has uneven skin, with lots of irregular bumps and discolorations that make it the kind of subject etegami artists love to paint. What little juice the yuzu has is very tart, and used in cooking like vinegar or lemon juice. But it's the zest that we value the most. So WONderfully aromatic! I painted several etegami of this delightful gift fruit before I cut it all up, separating the juice from the rind, and freezing it for future use. The accompanying words are the Japanese version of the proverb I used in my previous post: Whoever refreshes others will be refreshed (Proverbs 11:25).