Dear Everyone ~
Bookful of Japanese Art Inspirations, my 16th Bookful collaboration with Cat Bennett, begins Saturday, May 3—still almost a fortnight away!
Will, our beloved mail carrier and smiliest parcel-picker-upper, has been on holiday, so we have personally delivered three big bag-fulls of Bookful parcels to the post office, bound for destinations from north (Beverly Hills, Michigan) to south (Wilmington, North Carolina) & coast (Mountain View, California) to coast (Fairfield, Connecticut). My dear Zak had already led the postal charge, sending off four International parcels (three to Canada and one to Austria).
Back in February, Cat & I decided on Japanese Art as our inspiration for our spring Bookful. Since then, Cat has explored numerous books about traditional and contemporary Japanese art & also several books about tea ceremony. She recently shared with me discovering a new painting technique “quite by accident.” She was experimenting with painted papers, for a collage she was working on… and, in the workshop, she will share her revelation. Here is her enthusiastic preview:
“I love the art of Japan, especially the woodblock prints of Hokusai and Hiroshige. The drawing, color, drama, and composition are all so arresting. I don’t have the patience to do woodblock carving and printing, but I still try to integrate some of the qualities of Japanese prints into my small paintings. It helps me grow and refine my own work when I work with inspiration from other artists. (I’m not alone. Van Gogh borrowed color and a sense of overall pattern when he also fell in love with Japanese art.) I’m eager to see all we discover when we explore Japanese art in this Bookful!”
Whilst assembling the Japanese papers for this Bookful kit, I noticed that my paper cabinet was beginning to lean, egads! My beloved neighbour Robert Rudd was close at hand and came in to perform R&R (Rescue & Remediate). Thank goodness! As serendipity would have it, I needed to pull out the contents of all 24 drawerfuls of paper. In the process, I discovered a few more un-crinkly Kodai & very vintage Katazome papers that would have otherwise remained submerged under newer acquisitions.
In other Japanese art-related news, Alyson (my postal muse) sent Cat a few Japanese themed postage stamps. One of which Cat used in her teapot collage (seen above). This inspired me to comb through my worldwide postage binders to see what I might have to share with the students in this Bookful. I’m delighted to say, my reserves have allowed me to include three Japanese or Japanese-themed stamps with every kit. As Alyson is fond of saying, “No piece of paper is too small to have an impact.”
If you are considering joining us, we still have time to ship your kit(s). As always, Cat & I like to emphasize–especially if you are a Bookful newcomer, that truly no drawing, painting, collaging or bookbinding experience is necessary. The pace is serene, dare we even say Zen, and the camaraderie is harmonious. (Plus you will have complete videos to watch and rewatch—all 12 hours-ful!)
Bookful of Japanese Art Inspirations
From Arigatou to Zen, Bari