The 'Lover's Dream'
"Some will say they do not wish to dream their lives away. As if life itself were not a dream, a very real dream from which there is no...
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- Apr 25, 2022
- 3 min
The Mystery of Foujita's White
Foujita (1886-1968) is an artist I have come to appreciate more and more over time; not just his depiction of cats and nudes, but also...
- Mar 15, 2022
- 4 min
Playing with Ink: 'Pomo' and 'Tarashikomi' Techniques
In my studies of the Rinpa school in Japan and their techniques for my own paintings, I suddenly realised something that I didn't think...
- Mar 8, 2022
- 2 min
Of Gods and Cats
I recently painted two cats on gold leaf with mineral pigment. In composition I wanted them to mirror each other like the Gods of Wind...
- Jan 24, 2022
- 5 min
In Praise of Gold: Using Gold Leaf
Junichiro Tanizaki (1886-1965) once wrote an aesthetic treatise titled 'In Praise of Shadows'. The essay discusses traditional Japanese...
- Jan 17, 2022
- 4 min
Dragon’s Blood Powder and Lapis Lazuli: How to Use Pigments
A major part of traditional Japanese and Chinese painting is the use of mineral pigments. Nowadays, colours and paint can be made...
- Jan 13, 2022
- 5 min
Sizing Paper
Sizing paper in the context I’m going to discuss isn’t about measuring the size, but rather applying a ‘sizing’ solution (usually some...
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