TIME FOR A CHAT

It's Cherry Blossom season...and time to get back to the blogging... I have missed you all and decided that our chat sessions were way overdue. SO close your eyes and think of the most magical place you could visit. Where did you go ?

Japan, imagine that!!!! I'm here too, enjoying the beauty of the Sakura trees  in full splendour. Every year the Japanese track the ' sakura zensen" cherry blossom front  as it moves northward. The blossoming begins in Okinawa, in January and typically reaches Kyoto and Tokyo at the end of March or beginning of April. A few week later  Hokkaido experiences the  transience of blossoms,"mono no aware", the extreme beauty and quick death of the Japanese cherry blossoms which  has often been associated with mortality  .

The Japanese eagerly await  the forecasts and gather in large numbers at parks, shrines and temples with family and friends to hold flower viewing parties.  It is a sight to behold.. definately  the stuff that dreams are made of.

" Hanami" festivals  celebrate the beauty of the cherry blossom and for many it's a chance to have a relaxing picnic under the shade and beauty of the cherry tree...  I love this reverent celebration of nature, where households, poets, artists, singers and all people gather 'en masse ' to  breath in , an enduring metaphor for  the ephemeral nature of life.

The Sakura is an omen of good fortune , an emblem of love  and represents the regalia of Spring. I'm keeping my eyes closed so that all the cherry blossoms can flutter and  flurry, on and around me for one more day.  It's  a glorious experience....That's the "ZaaArt" of  enjoying nature here in Japan.

MATARO DOLLS

Traditional crafts of Japan are mainly made by hand . It takes many years to acquire the techniques  and skills associated  to what is known as  a traditional craft product.  Recently , I have  been attending  Mataro Doll classes  studying the  traditional making of Mataro dolls and the Palace ball craft.

The " Goten Mari"  was a ball originally made with silken threads. During the edo  Era     (1600-1867), ladies  in noble household throughout the country enjoyed making and playing with these balls. As a result, this ball came to be know as " Goten Mari" or the " Ball of the Palace".

It is a 10 cm round  round ball  molded with clay and  deeply etched with  a specific design that you cover  with fabric and paste into position. All the seams are folded  and overlapped into  carved spaces, thus,  creating a perfect geometric ball of beauty.  It is the first  requirement before attempting the   Mataro Doll, which is one  Japan's most  celebrated traditional  crafts.

Kanabayashi Mataro, Master DollMaker shares "Zaa Art" of this 100 plus year old tradition by training and certifying  craft people in the superb, ancient techniques of creating  Japanese Dolls.

"EAT DRINK AND BE MERRY"

Eat , Drink, be Merry and celebrate" Bonenkai", in Japan. It literally translates to " forget-the-year" which means, "partytime",  for the  weary  Business workers and friends.  The gathering is usually held in a restaurant and rallies  the usual consumption of finger food and alcohol. Some people cheer, while other cringe at the thought of the 'Japanese drinking party".. It's a time when the   media  , sends out warnings,  about drunk obnoxious women( Ha Ha) ..

Bonenkai is an end of the year bash and whether you drink or not, it would be impolite not to attend,  In Japan, you do not pour you own first glass, so, it's hit and miss as to whether or not  your going to get gingerale. It's also  polite, to  lift your glass in an, " receiving ritual" to say thank you to your host, who is usually the boss.

There are many customs in Japan , and as, it is impolite to pour your own glass of water, spirits or any liquid,   you are at the mercy of the very  kind Japanese, who never allow you to have an empty glass. If you want to stay sober and make it to the New Year, the trick is to not drink your drink, keep your glass full  or "what the heck", join the rest of the people under the table.

Luckily there is a " NO drinking and driving", imprisionment  law, in Japan. For the most part the people adhere to the rules and obligingly take the subway or pile into one of the hundreds of Black Cat Taxis' that line the streets of the downtown area.

During "Bonenkai", it's not only the giggling  women, but the the  men, who become a great source of entertainment,  as they stumble through the doors  swerving down the alleyways, in the general direction of home. In one instance, I couldn't help but chuckle as an elderly gentleman and his friends were herded home like little lambs, at the end of a wives stick..( Ha ha)  and she didn't spare the rod. ( Hee Hee)

Thank goodness :Bonenkai"  the  " woes and trouble" of last year  are behind us . It's time to start  2010 with renewed vim and vigor.. Oh Oh..Oh No... not another party!!! "Shinenkai"( Welcome New Year) begins on January 10th  through to the  end of the month. SO "akemashite omedetou gozaimasu"
Have a "Happy New Year", my friends... Remember ' ZaaArt of  keeping  the glass full on the table. Wishing you all a healthy and prosperous party..  I mean , New Year.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

AUSTRALIA bound for the holidays...  I wanted to wish you all , a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. 

See you in January 2010.

PLAYING WITH ANGELS

"There's no place like home for the holidays." I'm so glad to be back. It seemed my one month  excusion turned into a three month  adventure with no computer access. However, I ended up with anew passport,  and a new baby  Grandson,  Bodhi , so we're calling him our Christmas Angel.

 I am of course very fond of all angels big and small, fat or thin, real or otherwise. SO when the opportunity came  to   create around that theme, I donned my imaginary wings and flew into my rather messy  tatami room. Beginning a project is always a chore and also a revelation of creative energy. I had been  baking earlier in the day utilizing  paper doilies for  cake  display purposes for afternoon tea, when "bing" a light came on in my head.

 Since childhood, I had seen  doilies folded and  tied with pipecleaners to create a 3-d angels, so I commenced staring into the lovely raised eyelets of the perforated paper.  In minutes I was tearing, turning and gluing the doily which ultimately ended up in  fragmented and formless pieces all over the table. " Now what", I thought to my self... " Now what do I do?"

I decided to just let the spirit take over with the paperdoll form. So what you see is what you get when you play with the Angels... I really don't even remember "  zaa art' of  painting her rosy little cheeks and lips... Actually I do believe the little cherubs  had a hand in that. They're always into my make-up brushes ....  when they get caught, of course, they BLUSH !!!

KIMONO

" Airing out

kimonos

as well as her

heart

is never

enough"

Chiyo-ni

(1703-1775)

Haiku always inspires me, with it's inner  wisdom. After  reading Chiyo-ni's   beautiful haiku,  I entitled this commissioned ATC " Kimono". The words and collage  seem to share the same Asian essence.

In the early 17th century , ' airing out' was done in the summer to prevent kimonos , books and scrolls from being eaten by insects and mold . This woman would have most certainly been frustrated living  within the feminine restraints of the Edo society. Still she is graceful and humble in her approach to everyday life.

Creating from collage and haiku posed a few problems for me. I kept wanting to  add more embellishments to this card... but ZaaArt of  listening to one's" inner self ' dicatated that less was more in this creation.

TIMELESS HAIKU

I am always encouraged  by the gentle prose of Haiku.   This is my ATC entited ' Butterfly"  which is beautifully illustrated through the ancient haiku of  ' Kaga no Chiyo".( 1703-1775)

Chiyo-ni  is considered one of the foremost  women haiku poets of Japan . She studied under two masters, who themselves, apprenticed with the great  male poet, Basho, who  ironically had  set down rules that forebade male haiku poets from befriending female haiku poets. History does have a sense of humour... Today, most Haiku masters are respectfully women !!!

1.
" A Butterfly--
What dream
is making your wings flutter?"

2.

" Butterfly --

you also get mad

some days."








3.

" What the butterfly

wants to say --

only this movement

of its wings."

This is one of  four new ATC's   commissioned and set to Haiku prose...  ENJOY !!!