'i love japan' - my drawings

i won't waste a lot of words... it's all summed up in this article from the South China Morning Post on 04.03.2012 (double click to enlarge the article).

above are a couple of sketches and the final drawing for the book. i love the subtle lines on the lotus leaf and how they gather in the center. nature reveals its amazing beauty to those who look closely! to make the lines really fine i had to sharpen my pencil on the paper constantly. that's where the blacks lines on the sketch come from. the unconcious expression of these very dark lines in combination with the concentrated drawing is quite interesting. 

    this is an article in TimeOut HK, March issue:

    ...and if you still want to read the whole story, visit  japan-i-love.blogspot.com

'i love japan' - the beginnings

these last three months have been an adventure into new territories for me: overnight i became a publisher, a conceptional designer, a competition tender, an artist (this is the only one i'm familiar with), a member of the jury (my two children were the real judges), a secretary, a quality controller, a sales agent and a delivery person all at the same time. i can tell you that's quite exciting! and it helps to have mum around to baby-sit:)

it all started with an idea that's been in my head for some time: a colouring book made by a number of different artists who had diverse artistic styles and concepts. i didn't want to tell them what to do, but from where to do it: their hearts. a spontaneous thought of 'i'll just do it!' beginning of january and 'i love japan' was born: a colouring and activity book dedicated to the children of japan who were affected by the 3.11 earthquake/tsunami. they should get something they can hold in their hands, something that reassures them that the world has not forgotten them. and also something to have fun with: to colour in, to scribble, to cut out and paste, or to simply look at and enjoy. 

i started to contact all my artist and designer friends ... from uni, from professional and private life, one even from childhood who i haven't spoken to for 30 years ... everyone i could think of! lucky me, a very reliable and talented friend, anna dabrowski, agreed to help me with the layout and all over design of the book. so things got flowing. i found 24 artists, i found sponsors for paper and printing, people who helped me with advice and experience... it was really amzing to see all these open hearts in a money-driven city like hongkong, giving time and talent and resources to this charity project! 

make a long story short: i initiated this book because i have always felt a special bond towards japan. i connect to the japanese aesthetic, the sense of colour, of proportion of space and ornament, the appreciation of craftmanship, the perfection of detail, the subtlety of it all... the list goes on. the half year i stayed in tokyo and worked as an intern at a fashion house has made a deep impression. it changed my artistic approach. this is one reason i want to help japan. the other is that now, as a mother, it is so natural to feel for these children who were affected by the earthquake/tsunami/nuclear desaster last year.  it want give them something to put a smile on their faces.

 

i created an individual blog for this book project: please visit japan-i-love.blogspot.com

'my cards' - from the heart

these cards are one of my favourite images to print: i'm using a different shade for each print, ranging from lemon yellow to flame red to magenta to the softest pink. 
happy valentine's day everyone!


the heart cards are available at the following shops:

a house in south lantau

i was asked to do a custom drawing of a house in south lantau. happily i accepted since i haven't done this since my studies in italy. the house is situated in tai long wan, a quiet village full of lychee trees, barking dogs and old people sitting on benches. while their house is the usual 700square foot/ three storey building, their garden is truly beautiful. it runs over two terraces with a well maintained lawn and trees full of lemons and mangos (in summer that is) as well as vegetable beds. i was so lucky to catch the bauhinia tree in full bloom:) 

for two afternoons i was sitting in this lush garden, with the sketch book on my lap, the sound of the waves in the background, sipping tea (or pink water accidentally) and drawing away. heaven!

here is the finished drawing:

'my cards' for Xmas

this is a card my daughter lucia created. i added cicada wings to the angel. then lucia added some more snow flakes. and in the end she did this fabulous logo on the back of the card. within a minute... not even!

christmas season already starts early november for me, when i begin drawing new christmas cards: i love to collect leaves and insect wings, seeds, even stones. they are most inspiring to me. there's so much beauty in the shapes and forms of nature. if there is such a thing as perfect beauty, this is it.

these are the guide lines after which i create my cards:

---> individually hand printed 

---> in hongkong

---> on recycled paper

---> limited editions of 50 pieces

this way each card is an original! 

because they're all printed by hand, each card differs from the next card. so poke around the prints to see which colour, texture and position of the print you like best! to make sure your card is truly special, there's a limited edition of 50 pieces per design. 

i hope you enjoy writing my cards as much as i enjoy creating them:)

thanks to everyone who have bought my cards - it is such an honour every time! i find it so special that these cards will be send to people you love into the whole world... 

this collection of framed prints is available at 'justGREEN', an organic convenient store on lamma. it is such a nice shop full of light and with a little terrace facing the harbour. the perfect spot to have tea or coffee! 

have a wonderful holiday everyone! 

frohe weihnachten!

'my cards' in singapore

a dear friend of mine is organising a pop up store in singapore. and she asked me to contribute some of my cards - exciting! so i've just finished these xmas cards (achtung early birds!) and two framed prints (a special edition of three prints per design, complete with chop and serial number). they will be for sale at 


'SPUR POP UP' 
57 ENNG HOON STREET 01-82, SINGAPORE.

opening hours: saturday and sunday, 11am - 6pm. 

weekdays by appointment only: please call us on 9673 0673.

... if you happen to be in singapore, please pop by!

'rosine' - back to basics

i have a room of my own now. it makes such a huge difference. it's so good. it's a space to be undisturbed, a space to think in ways i can't do at home (no mommy thoughts), a space to expand, to be quiet... to be loud, a space for expression. it's freedom. the freedom to let it come. whatever wants to come.


   

the first thing to come back is rosine. without digital revision this time. so i'm back to the basics: paper, pencils, ink and water colours. no photoshop, no fb, even the reception for my mobile phone is bad. it couldn't be better! for the last two weeks i've been working on these five illustrations. they are going into the 'mostra degli illustratori" competition of the bologna children's book fair. for me working without digital tools basically means i don't have tools for correction. it's braver because everything counts. every line will just be the way i draw it. it's honest. the beauty about it is that so called 'mistakes' often make the most interesting pictures in the end. it's an amazing feeling. like i didn't do it, i was just the one to hold the pencil.