Cityscape
07.09.2016 § Leave a comment
I have always admired the serenity and pureness of nature. As soon as my husband and I were finished with our schooling, we immediately moved to the quiet, spacious suburbia; never understanding ones desire to move to the big city. Many years and experiences later, my perception of city life began to shift and eventually (to my surprise) began to influence my work as a designer.
On one particular sales trip to Manhattan, I walked…a lot. While traveling amongst the noisy hustle and bustle of traffic, I stumbled upon a little wild flower rooted next to a wrought iron gate. The graceful flower was rising from a crack in the concrete, pushing its way toward the clear blue sky. The juxtaposition of the cement, the wrought iron and the plant created a texture that brought a smile to my face for the rest of the day. The peaceful experience made the echoes from city streets dissipate; leaving only the beautiful composition in my memory. From that day forward, I gained a different perspective of the urban environment and the magnificence held within it.
Then I began to travel. I was able to travel longer and more freely after my obligations of parenthood and elderly care were fulfilled. I discovered the joy of experiencing different cities, architecture, bridges, public transportation, vegetation, people, as well as cultures from around the world. I took photos, doodled, sketched, took notes, and made plans to enjoy outings with friends from different cities. I now fully understand the attraction society has to live within a metropolis.
Drawing inspiration from the energy and graphics of the urban landscape, the 18 new patterns in the fall 2016 Cityscape collection depict my experiences from the eccentric life of the big city.
Metropolis 4569 – Cityscape 4564 – Boulevard 4568
Boomtown 4564 – Metropolis 4569
Junction 6531 – Lexingtion 4221 – Lumen 1305 – Essanay 8220 – Selfridge 8940
Bodhi Blossom
22.10.2014 § Leave a comment
It is said these are blossoms from the Bodhi tree. I have never seen them in person, but I think they are beautiful.
The Bodhi Tree […] was a large and very old Sacred Fig tree (Ficus religiosa) located in Bodh Gaya, India, under which Siddhartha Gautama, the spiritual teacher later known as Gautama Buddha, is said to have achieved enlightenment, or Bodhi. [It is after the enlightenment of Guatama Siddartha that the tree is called the Bodhi tree.] In religious iconography, the Bodhi tree is recognizable by its heart-shaped leaves, which are usually prominently displayed. Bodhi trees are planted in close proximity to every Buddhist monastery in India. « Read the rest of this entry »
Day Trip to Matsumoto City ~ 2
21.08.2014 § Leave a comment
Matsumoto city’s streets are preserved from the old days. They are lined with lovely shops. There was an antique Kimono shop where I bought a tie-dyed, soft turquoise blue coat and a few fabric fragments cut from old Kimono. I also ran into a gallery-looking shop that sells items handwoven by a weaver and vegetable dyer. From her I bought a peach wood-dyed, chamomile color scarf.
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There were other shops too, and inspiring colors from my day trip to Matsumoto city: « Read the rest of this entry »
Cherry Blossom Festival in the City
21.05.2012 § Leave a comment
When I was visiting Japan, a friend from the US who is living in Tokyo had planned to take me to an Indian restaurant. I suppose he was looking forward to this meal because he was a bit tired of Japanese food. It was cold and I did not bring enough covering for the unexpectedly cold air. By the time we walked to the very small restaurant at dusk, it was 7:30p.m. and the restaurant would not have a table for us until 9:00p.m. So we walked on. My friend was hoping to find a good Italian restaurant, but I requested to settle on the first noodle place we passed since it was dark and I was cold and hungry. The dinner was not so tasty. Tokyo-style soup broths are really not as good as Osaka ones; they’re just a bunch of soy sauces.
We started to walk back to my hotel and had gone about four blocks when all of a sudden a street filled with rows of cherry trees in full bloom, their blossoms light up for the night, appeared in front of us. « Read the rest of this entry »
Natural Inspiration
05.04.2012 § 2 Comments
Stamens and tree bark are fascinating. I’ve got to figure out a way to make these patterns into fabrics.
Snow Flakes
01.03.2011 § Leave a comment
About ten inches of snow at least. The car windows were frosted solid, I had to scrape very hard to get it off. Every window is frosted; I spent quite some time to scrap each window, enough for me to notice many different shapes of snow flake flowers, how beautiful! Why do we complain about the snow? It is such a blessing to get to see things created by nature!
Song of Rose ~ 1
23.12.2010 § Leave a comment
part 1 : The roses bloomed beautifully…
A flower is a luxury. Although I can afford it, I feel guilty indulging myself with impractical things when there are people starving. The color of these roses stopped me at Cotsco when we were hauling food for the holiday party, “but this is holiday season,” so I bought a bunch of pink roses, a bunch of white roses, and some green chrysanthemums. « Read the rest of this entry »
Woven-Words 