On my first trip to Japan in Autumn, I was struck by the displays of Chrysanthemums at most of the temples and castles we visited. Particularly where they were trained to grow over frames to give a magnificent display, but also in bonsai form and as single specimens. This 12″ x 12″ quilt uses some […]
I finished this sketchbook cover yesterday. ( opened out above and closed below) Not my usual colours but I’m happy with it.I’m teaching two workshops in Bunbury soon, one is called From Trash to Treasure, which is about creating things from leftover scraps of fabric, yarns, ect. so I thought I would get some examples […]
A collage of photos from our last few days in Japan – all in Tokyo. The gardens are Rikugien Gardens again with Reiko and Akiko.Left, center: a Harajuku girl. These girls are amazing – they must spend so much time on their appearance – we saw several of them on the train and at the […]
I made a collage of these photos of wood slats at the village in Takayama – I’d like to use them somehow in my work. Further thought required!Below: just had to show some more cherry blossom at the temples in Takayama. The tree on the left has been bandaged – not sure why. This red […]
Takayama is up in the mountains, a couple of hours by train from Nagoya. It’s a lovely place to visit – still had some of the famous cherry blossoms (Sakura) flowering which was a bonus, as well as lots of great shopping and eating. We visited a re-creation of a traditional mountain village. The houses […]
While we were staying with Renee, Toshiko, who used to be one of Renee’s students, took us to a temple in the Suzuka Mountains only about an hours drive away. A beautiful area and in contrast to my last trip, very quiet and peaceful. Cleansing our hands before visiting the temple. While there, we had […]
I arrived home from Japan Wednesday night but too busy getting organised for my workshop (today) to post before. All the pics are at The Tokoname pottery village near Nagoya. Above: both daughters. We had a lovely day wandering around – lots of little shops, old traditional houses, kilns and fantastic paths and walls made […]
This is the gorgeous Christmas decoration I received from Suzanne. On the back (below) she’s hand embroidered part of the chorus from the Christmas carol: We Three Kings of Orient Are. I’m very impressed – its beautifully done and I love it – thankyou Suzanne! Yesterday I tutored a workshop for the 84 Group on […]
Above: Ginza, an exclusive shopping street in Tokyo. I didn’t buy anything here – way too expensive! Below: neon lights – night shopping in Osaka and Tokyo You can click on any picture for a closer view. Merry Christmas! Seasons greetings to those who don’t celebrate Christmas. Best wishes to everyone for a healthy, happy, […]
Above: some more of my shopping experiences in Japan.