Thursday, August 30, 2012

firefly


falling from a blade
of grass and flying away
there goes a firefly
— Matsuo Bashō (1644–1694)

The spindle design. Thread wrap in dark antique blue; S12 division in metallic silver. Embroidery in yellow orange, rust, black, and several shades of grays and blues. The haiku by Bashō is in the bell box along with brass rings that make a quiet traditional rattle. Circumference: 10.5 inches / 26.5 cm; diameter: 3.34 inches / 8.43 cm. Completed 29 August 2012 (no. 145).

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Monday, August 27, 2012

temple bell


The temple bell stops.
But the sound keeps coming
out of the flowers.
— Matsuo Bashō (1644–1694)

My second go at the all-over flax/hemp design (asanoha kagari; here is the first). I chose the threadwrap to allude to a brass bell; the colors of the stitching are intended to evoke cherry blossoms.

Thread wrap in dark brass ("rum"). C8 division in #5 chocolae brown perle cotton. Additional stitching in dusty rose pink. The haiku by Bashō is in the bell box along with brass rings that make a quiet traditional rattle. Circumference: 9.75 inches / 25 cm; diameter: 3.1 inches / 7.95 cm. Completed 26 August 2012 (no. 144).

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Sunday, August 26, 2012

the breaking of a wave


The breaking of a wave cannot explain the whole sea.
— Vladimir Nabokov (1899–1977)

Another in the "wishing papers" style of wrapped bands along six axes. This one has five colors of bands and no obi, in contrast to the last, which had four and an obi.

Thread wrap in black. S6 division in metallic silver. Embroidery in 7 colors: blues, blue-greens, light and dark gray. The quote by Vladimir Nabokov is in the bell box along with brass rings that make a quiet traditional rattle. Circumference: 11 inches / 28 cm; diameter: 3.5 inches / 8.9 cm. Completed 26 August 2012 (no. 143).

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Thursday, August 23, 2012

with each step - asanoha kagari


The mind can go in a thousand directions, but on this beautiful path, I walk in peace. With each step, the wind blows. With each step, a flower blooms.
— Thich Nhat Hanh (b. 1926)

This is a new design for me, a traditional motif called asanoha kagari—the flax (or hemp) design. It's a geometric motif that can be used to form individual shapes, to fill other shapes, or as here, as all-over design. I chose to stitch in black on ecru because I have always loved the look of blackwork embroidery, and this design seemed to fit in my mind with that style.

Thread wrap in ecru. C8 division in #5 perle cotton. Embroidery in black. The quote by Thich Nhat Hanh is in the bell box along with brass rings that make a quiet traditional rattle. Circumference: 10.25 inches / 26.5 cm; diameter: 3.26 inches / 8.43 cm. Completed 22 August 2012 (no. 142).

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(with 139)

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

discover new oceans


Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.
—André Gide (1932–2009)

Another variation of kiku called reverse, or inverted, kiku, with the kiku points at the equator. Still making me think of temples and Islamic calligraphy and architecture. The colors of this one were chosen in a "stream of consciousness" way, colors that remind me of the beauty of oil on the surface of water.

Thread wrap in violet blue (called pansy). S10 division in perle cotton. Embroidery in eight shades of greens golds, pumpkin, violet, etc. The quote by André Gide is in the bell box along with brass rings that make a quiet traditional rattle. Circumference: 10.5 inches / 27 cm; diameter: 3.34 inches / 8.59 cm. Completed 22 August 2012 (no. 141).

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breathing room for the spirit


What art offers is space—a certain breathing room for the soul.
—John Updike (1932–2009)

A variation of kiku called reverse, or inverted, kiku, with the kiku points at the equator. Whenever I make this design I think of temples and Islamic calligraphy and architecture.

Thread wrap in reddish-brown-orange (called cinnamon, but it looks more like paprika). S10 division in perle cotton. Embroidery in six shades ranging from cream to yellow to matching "paprika." The quote by John Updike is in the bell box along with brass rings that make a quiet traditional rattle. Circumference: 10.625 inches / 27 cm; diameter: 3.38 inches / 8.59 cm. Completed 21 August 2012 (no. 139).

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Monday, August 20, 2012

a creative life


To live a creative life, we must lose out fear of being wrong.
— Joseph Chilton Pearce (b. 1926)

This temari is a pattern for which I love the final result, though making it can be either tedious or relaxing depending on my mood. Cotton packing string is used for the guidelines as thicker anchors for the wrapped rounds of embroidery thread.

Intended to be a companion piece, the colors are the same (with the addition of one) as temari no. 138.

S8. Embroidery in slate gray, chocolate brown, medium antique blue, grass green, medium greenish-blue, and butter yellow. The quote by Pearce is in the bell box along with brass rings that make a quiet traditional rattle. Circumference: 10.25 inches / 26 cm; diameter: 3.26 inches / 8.3 cm. Completed 19 August 2012 (no. 140).

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Saturday, August 18, 2012

life in widening circles


I live my life in widening circles
that reach out across the world.
— Rainier Maria Rilke (1875–1926)

This temari is a variation adapted from Diana Vandervoort's "wishing papers" pattern of layered wrapped bands. It is one of the first patterns I ever tried.

Thread wrap in black; S6 with extra marking lines in metallic gold. Embroidery in slate gray, chocolate brown, medium antique blue, grass green, and butter yellow. The quote by Rilke is in the bell box along with brass rings* that make a quiet traditional rattle. Circumference: 11.5 inches / 29.5 cm; diameter: 3.66 inches / 9.4 cm. Completed 17 August 2012 (no. 138).

*As of this temari, I have stopped counting the number of rings I put in the temari . . . I am adding a good box-full for the best rattle effect.

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Sunday, August 12, 2012

raven stealing the sun


Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.
— Buddha

This is my first story-based temari. The design is inspired by the mythology of the Native American tribes of the Pacific Northwest, many of whom have variations on the tale of Raven, the Trickster. The sun and the moon and other precious objects were hidden away in a box, and the world was dark. Raven, through mischievous trickery, finds a way to steal them, and thus brings light to the world.

The sun is formed from the traditional rose garden pattern, while Raven is three layered (traditional) spindles. Thread wrap in brass yellow, S12 division in metallic gold and silver. Embroidery in yellows, oranges, reds, black and silver. The quote by Buddha is in the bell box, along with 33 brass rings. Circumference: 11 inches / 28 cm; diameter: 3.5 inches / 8.9 cm. Completed 11 August 2012 (no. 136).

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Just one example of the many tales:
Long ago, near the beginning of the world, Gray Eagle was the guardian of the Sun, Moon and Stars, of fresh water, and of fire. Gray Eagle hated people so much that he kept these things hidden. People lived in darkness, without fire and without fresh water.
Gray Eagle had a beautiful daughter, and Raven fell in love with her. In the beginning, Raven was a snow-white bird, and as a such, he pleased Gray Eagle's daughter. She invited him to her father's longhouse.
When Raven saw the Sun, Moon and stars, and fresh water hanging on the sides of Eagle's lodge, he knew what he should do. He watched for his chance to seize them when no one was looking. He stole all of them, and a brand of fire also, and flew out of the longhouse through the smoke hole. As soon as Raven got outside he hung the Sun up in the sky. It made so much light that he was able to fly far out to an island in the middle of the ocean. When the Sun set, he fastened the Moon up in the sky and hung the stars around in different places. By this new light he kept on flying, carrying with him the fresh water and the brand of fire he had stolen.
He flew back over the land. When he had reached the right place, he dropped all the water he had stolen. It fell to the ground and there became the source of all the fresh-water streams and lakes in the world. Then Raven flew on, holding the brand of fire in his bill. The smoke from the fire blew back over his white feathers and made them black. When his bill began to burn, he had to drop the firebrand. It struck rocks and hid itself within them. That is why, if you strike two stones together, sparks of fire will drop out.
Raven's feathers never became white again after they were blackened by the smoke from the firebrand. That is why Raven is now a black bird.

Ella E. Clark, Indian Legends of the Pacific Northwest (2003: University of California Press).




Tuesday, August 7, 2012

article about Kumo Temari


Last year I was approached by American Lifestyle Magazine about the possibility of publishing an article about my temari. At the end of 2011, I answered a long interview and submitted pictures, then waited (and waited) . . . and now it is back from press! If you'd like to get a more in-depth perspective about my process (intellectual and technical), please take a look.

Click here to view a [pretty poor quality] low resolution PDF of the article.

If you'd like to download a higher-quality copy of the entire publication, go to the American Lifestyle Magazine website and click on "download the latest issue" from the top right of the menu bar. It will be available for about 8 weeks. If you miss the download opportunity, just contact me through my Etsy shop and I can send you the PDF of the article.


Publication © American Lifestyle Magazine. Article text and images provided by Kumo Temari.

Monday, August 6, 2012

10 x 10 x 10 x Tieton Exhibition


10 x 10 x 10 x Tieton Gallery, 2012, from the Tieton Facebook Page

I'm very pleased that a set of three temari (This Beautiful Path) has been accepted into this year's 10 x 10 x 10 x Tieton show, a juried exhibition of works that cannot exceed 10 inches in height, width or depth. An annual show filled with a wide range of art and craft, I participated in the inaugural 2010 exhibit with a drawing, but this is the first time my temari will be shown anywhere.

Live near Eastern Washington (the Yakima area)? Have some free time for adventure? Check out the Tieton arts community. The show runs 11 August to 11 October, with the opening reception Saturday 11 August.

This Beautiful Path

Sunday, August 5, 2012

a single thread in nature (3)


If one pulls on a single thread in nature, you'll find it attached to everything else.
— John Muir (1838–1914)

Here's the third of the triad stitched around the Muir quote (see the first here and the second here). Again, mutsume ami—the basket weave—like the first, but with 6 filled triangles and just two unadorned.

Thread wrap in silvery lilac gray, S4 division. Embroidery in violet, lavender, lilac, rust orange, and black. The quote by John Muir is in the bell box, along with 17 brass rings. Circumference: 9.5 inches / 24.5 cm; diameter: 3 inches / 7.8 cm. Completed 4 August 2012 (no. 134).


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133, 134, 132