etegami travel diaries

In my Beginner's Guide to Etegami book, I have a section on etegami travel diaries which includes this image of a 700-year old Katsura tree surrounded by Buddhist statues. The tree is encircled by an old rope, which marks it as a sacred place. But it was the glow of the fall leaves, both on the branches and on the ground, that persuaded me to linger until I could burn the scene into my memory.

When I paint a scene like this, which fills so much of the card that there's hardly any room for words, I often type the words onto a sheet of printer paper, cut them out, and glue them to the card. The typed words in their strips of white provide a contrast to the organic quality of the colorful image, making them easier to read. I separate each line from the others by fanning them out like this to avoid blocking too much of the image and to allow better blending (without getting lost) into the background.

These lines come from the poem Envoi, by the British poet Kathleen Raine.

whiskers and tails

I've started a new series of cat and dog etegami with a different focus than my previous work. Please send me a photo of your dog or cat that clearly shows their tail or whiskers. If it inspires an etegami, I will send you a copy. Email your photo to dosankodebbie (at) yahoo (dot) co (dot) jp

cultural heritage series

UNESCO recently registered “Japanese Cuisine” as an intangible cultural heritage of the world. To commemorate this event, I did a series of etegami depicting dishes that I felt expressed the connection between Japan’s food and cultural identity.

The first illustration depicts a box having lots of compartments filled with a wide variety of tidbits generally called Osechi, which is the label given to food prepared especially for New Year’s Day. Each item has some kind of auspicious meaning, often based on wordplay, although sometimes the significance is in the shape or color of the item.

The second illustration depicts Ishikari Nabe, a hot-pot dish that represents Hokkaido, the part of Japan I call home. This Ishikari Nabe features sea food and agricultural produce for which Hokkaido is known (particularly salmon and salmon eggs). Many regions of Japan are represented by their own particular nabe recipe.

I used a black felt pen instead of the traditional fude writing brush and sumi ink for these, so they don't look much like traditional etegami.

etegami published in kyoto journal

A short story by Kris Kosaka (with my artwork!) was recently published in the fabulous Kyoto Journal (issue 79). These are the illustrations I did for Dog Boy, a story about an Ainu boy's first day in Japanese public school. Breaking News: Now anyone, even non-subscribers, can access the story at the KJ website.

cradles and lullabies

This is an image of an Ainu cradle, called a shinta. The Ainu are the indigenous people of northern Japan. The writing that accompanies the image is from the refrain of an old Japanese lullaby.

I sent the original etegami to my writer friend Linda Austin, whose work has inspired my etegami in the past (click here to see related post), but this image is also posted on the Mama Lisa's World website, as an illustration for a series of posts on lullabies from around the world.

Mama Lisa' World is chock full of cultural information and fun activities. If you have young children in your life, or you are involved in any way with international music and culture, you'll find lots of cool stuff there.

free etegami magnet

I've been converting some of my etegami into business card-sized (approx. 5 x 9 cm) flexible magnets. The magnet shown here is a print of my Apple Stars etegami.  The original is currently listed here on my Etsy shop. From today until March 31, I will enclose one magnet free with every purchase of an original etegami (not prints or supplies) from my Etsy shop. This item and other flexible etegami magnets will be available for separate purchase after March. I stuck my Apple Stars magnet to the black filing cabinet next to my work desk where I see it every day, partly because I already have so many magnets on my refrigerator. :p

featured in belgian art magazine

I was privileged to have my work featured in the Spring 2014 issue of the Belgium-based art magazine Creacorner. The theme of the whole issue is Japan as an inspiration for art. My talented etegami colleagues Yun and Tatsuaki, whose works are frequently posted on my mailart gallery blog, are also featured. Creacorner is bright and colorful-- a true feast for the eyes. You can view the whole issue at this link.