The Trip Always Starts With a Drawing

Anytime I travel I always bring a sketchbook. OF COURSE I would bring along paints and paper to Japan! I was really inspired by the collections of the potters I met during the trip. Kokeshi dolls, rusted tools, tricket-y charms, and old toys were just a few of the collections I viewed inside the homes of Japanese artists. I am an avid collector, as well, and will post about that topic soon. Until then, here are a few of my sketchbook pages that I created while in Japan.

If you know anything about me, you probably know about my love of kokeshis; I have a collection of about 500 wooden dollies. Kokeshi dolls are a Japanese folk tradition and you see them everywhere in Japan.

A vast collection of rusted out bits and bobs and tools kept me sketching at a furious pace in an Okayama home/studio.

This drawing was inspired by the interior of a Japanese home in Nara. Lots of jewelry and charms hung on the walls and the lighting was something special.