succulent blossom en masse

It's really interesting how doing something repetitive for a long period of time can be strangely meditative. And I think it has to do with your frame of mind at the time and how you choose to see the task. This 1.7 x 1.2m piece of light-weight cotton fabric took me hours to block print my succulent blossom design yesterday afternoon, but oddly enough I enjoyed it. I didn't focus on my aching arms or the time. Instead I just went with the flow. I thought I might stop half way through and do the rest today but once I got into the rhythm it was strangely addictive. And moving about the fabric also kept me warm when I knew the room was becoming chilly. The hardest part was navigating a hungry cat who kept getting under foot for about the last 40 mins.

Then I baked an apple cake and had a glass of red as a little reward.

a womb/kyoto loveliness

I'm starting to make a list of my favourite places to visit when I go back to Kyoto later this year. One place I adored and became a regular of was A Womb on the north eastern side of the city. It's incredible and not at all womb-like. In fact the interior is stark and modern but at the same time also incredibly serene. They serve sushi like you've never ever experienced anywhere else. It's so gorgeous to look at and presented like artwork. One time they made me and my guest a special dessert that was a landscape of the most incredibly delicious and beautiful sweet morsels.

I'll be heading there for the sushi kaiseki.

They also have a blog.

iro iro

The paper art animation in this video for Regina Spektor's song Samson is so exquisite it makes my eyes hurt.


reading: Colum McCann's collection of short stories - Fishing in the Sloe-Black River (1998)

doing: sumi ink drawings; planting out the autumn vegie patch; early morning walks; planning a trip to Kyoto

seeing: the BSG Works on Paper exhibition

watching: Grand Designs; Who do you think you are; The Good Wife

listening: everything but the girl - And I miss you (Like the deserts miss the rain) And I miss you (Like the deserts miss the rain)

eating: slow cooked lamb stews; savoury tarts; blue brie

drinking: sangiovese; hot chocolate

thinking about: wallpapering the wall behind our bed and putting in a pretty pendant light

morioka teapot

Covet: Morioka southern iron kettle teapot.

ii ne kore reminded me of keibunsha, a treasure trove of goodness in Kyoto. I especially love the way the old floor boards in the gallery squeak as you walk on them. And now I'm contemplating how to carry back an iron teapot in my luggage when I visit Kyoto later this year. I've carried some heavy and not-very-portable things between Japan and Australia over the years. A rice cooker was one. Also delicate pottery (in my carry-on) and rolls of washi paper. So I'm not particularly phased by this potential new challenge. The real question is how many red teapots can a girl own? I have one already. It's not iron though!

unaccustomed earth

Please. Just go read this now. You won't be disappointed. Jhumpa Lahiri's most recent collection of short stories: Unaccustomed Earth. It's brilliant. Fiction writing at its best. Read a review here first if you need to be convinced. The woman is so gifted as a writer it's ridiculous.

Have you been reading anything good worth sharing?

paper & ink

The white paper dress fixation continues.....
I'm trying out some different compositions with my sumi ink drawings and woodblock prints. Do you ever struggle with composition when you're designing something?

The sumi ink drawings started in this somewhat messy spot. Oooh just realised the mess is hiding in this pic. Consider yourself lucky.

25 seconds in my work room