Third Naruko Kokeshi Exhibit @ Gates Inn Gallery U

I stopped by Gallery U today, but first I got all spiffed up in a kimono.

Being the incredibly humble artist that I am, I made a beeline for my own work before even glancing at the other works.

I was glad to see my Kokeshi were in a good spot, but the overall level was so high, though proud to be in such esteemed company, I'm not sure how I measure up.

Let's look at some of the dolls I thought were extremely cool.

These dolls by Etsuko Kurimori really show off the beauty of the wood and incorporate a fresh, natural style.

I love the damaged schoolgirl motif and also the style used here, which while tackling popular manga/anime tropes uses a clean, original style. The animals held by the girls are great additions

Of the figures here by Masaya Miyashita, the Nature one really caught my eye, but I'm a sucker for moon motifs as well.

Speaking of moon motifs, these three moon dolls by Tomoko Miyakawa are just gorgeous. I love the deep blue and how the characters follow the moon phase progression.

Growth was a common theme and a natural one as we were all given a set of three differently-sized dolls to work with.

Check out the growth cycle of the frog by Kyoko (Sakai?)

There were all different sorts of designs including abstract, highly graphical, and traditional. This kabuki set by Taeko Oda was quite eye-catching so I'll finish with it.

The exhibition continues until next Sunday at 4, and I'll be there then.

Gallery U is just a short walk from Matsudo station. It's the top left brown square in the map below.

Hope to see you there!

Comments

Tokyo Akahon Manga “Gulliver’s Travels” by NAKAMURA Hiroshi

According to a post by akahon manga researcher Yuuzora Retro (pen name), the Tokyo-based publisher Taikōdō ( 泰光堂 ) created their Manga Classics series in response to the PTA backlash against manga contributing to delinquency in Osaka. This is Gulliver’s Travels by NAKAMURA Hiroshi (中村ひろし), a B6-sized 3-color akahon* printed with red ink fills on either blue or green lines costing 85 yen. NAKAMURA seemed to be the main artist for Taikōdō as evinced by the ad pages at the back. There is no publishing date, but it probably wasn't too far from 1951 when "Cinderella" and "Snow White" from the same series were published. Looking at the stamps on the endpapers on the back, we can see that this particular book was rented out at a kashihon-ya (rental comic shop) in Saga, Kyushu called Imazato Neo Shobō. It was lent to me by a Mr. Fujita, a collector heavy into Showa-era items. I will continue to introduce the books I was able to borrow from his

Lighthouse Illustration

I was suddenly possessed by the desire to draw lighthouses. Inspired by the work of Don Kenn , Edward Gorey, and H.P. Lovecraft. First in a possible series.

Starry-eyed heroes of Akira 'Leiji' Matsumoto

Hello, friends and manga-philes. You probably know that my interest in Japan was originally fueled by a combined interest in Japanese animation and martial arts. My interests expanded somewhat over the years, but one big change happened about the age of 15 when I bought my first Japanese collected comic. From that moment on, I became more interested in comics than animation and eventually after moving to Japan, I started to collect the comics of Mr. Leiji Matsumoto . At first, I was put off by the heavy-lined art and blocky characters, but the more I got into the stories, the less I cared about the style. Eventually, though, I started to appreciate the artistry much in the same way it took me a while to warm to Jack Kirby's art. Like most Leiji fans, I was heavy into Space Cruiser Yamato , Captain Harlock , Queen Emeraldas , and finally, Galaxy Express 999 . These comics were created in the 70's and are representative of Matsumoto's style of that time. After

patokon blog

Search This Blog