MICA lecture and Toy making blog

Hello.I'm going to MICA ( Maryland Institute College of Art) next week to have a lecture and a week long Toy design workshop. Here are the link to the blog I've been making for the class.  I thought maybe some other toymaker will be interested! I will keep updating this blog with students work and interview with other toy makers so stay tuned. http://micamfaillustrationaya.wordpress.com/

Info about the workshop: http://fyi.mica.edu/event/aya_kakeda_lecture

spring and sculpture studio update

Happy Spring everyone!Brought in some flowers from the front yard now spring is in my Dining room.

<<Sculpture studio update>> I'm now in the glazing stage. Those are in the kiln now, hope the colors will come out right! I had some "ugly color disappointment" today with some of the sculptures... so I'm crossing my fingers for those ones.  Glazing is so hard! Also some "Successful ones" came out today as well. Although those pieces are black/white so it was very easy for me to guess what it will look like after baking I was surprise how glossy the black came out though, a good surprise.  horrray!

One Year After

Today was such a beautiful warm day in New York!"Tsuru Project" an artists group which formed soon after the earthquake in Japan last March 11th, gathered in a park in Brooklyn to have a memorial event today. We hanged the Origami Cranes and paper ornaments from trees. These Cranes were made by children, friends, and artists who came to our origami workshops through out the whole year since last March. It was so beautiful with the winds blowing~These are the photos from when we were setting up so I don't have any people in. But so many people came by and made origami with us through out the day. I will put some more photos when I get them!  Thank you so much for coming.  I was very happy and touched to have this special memorial day with warm friends and strangers folding origami and thinking about Japan together. Thank you!!! This is Yuri making a beautiful one year memorial sign for our installation.

One Year After 3.11 Tsuru Project Event

One Year After 3.11 Tsuru Project EventSunday March 11, 2012 from 1 pm to 4 pm McCarren Park, Brooklyn on Bedford Avenue side, between North12th St. and Lorimer St. ::: map

In case of rain: we'll gather at  232 Bedford Ave. Brooklyn (bet.N.5th and N.4th St)

Hello everyone! Next Sunday the March 11th is the one year memorial of the Earthquake and Tsunami which hit Northern Japan last year. Tsuru Project (A group formed after the earthquake last year that  I'm part of) will gather at McCarren park on this March 11. We will make origami crane and have a origami workshop to send our prayers to the lost souls and the people who were affected by this tragedy. Please come and join us to make tsuru for the first memorial for Japan. Also we would like to send our gratitude to everyone who has supported Japan from New York and all over the world.  Thank you!!!

(Photo:On March 20, 2011, we gathered at McCarren Park,and made origami cranes for the first time for Japan, sending our love and hopes to our home country.)

sculpture wednesday

Slowly I'm building up my ceramic figures, they are before the bisk fire so they look gray. I decided to name my figure after my friends :-)From the left (girl with a bird on her head) Kimiko, middle (Elephant girl) Eun-ha, and the right (girl with a goldfish in the stomach) Fumiha. I can't wait to have a whole family of friends~ And I can't wait to start painting them!

Sculpture Studio

Here are some photos from my ceramic studio.Slowly but surely something is coming out from my brain ---> hands ---> Plaster casts ---> clay. I was creating different vases with faces, and the other day I realized. Oh!!! all my vases at home have faces!!! It was nice to know I was getting inspiration from some objects around my house and my everyday life! Here is some photo of my vases at home. And! For this Valentine's day Eun-ha gave me one of her art ceramic piece.  I always wanted to own her piece so I was so happy. And guess what?! it was a vase with face, too!!! You can see Eun-ha's art work here --->http://www.eun-ha.com She is a true inspiration to me and a great friend.  She is one of the reason that I started doing ceramic. Here is Eun-ha's Vase and a visiting artist cat Nemo.

spring?

One of my plant is blooming. Maybe they can feel the spring is coming.

Look what I found in my mail box today!

After long day of silkscreening I came home pretty tired, but as soon as I found this in my mailbox I was so happy!It's  a book call "Asian Illustrators" by Monsa published from Barcelona, Spain. Book Features 17 illustrators from all over Asia and I'm one of the artists. yappy~!!!  Thank you Monsa!

Here are some pictures from inside of the book. (I should scan it...these photos are taken by my camera phone... they are in such a terrible quality... ) Here is the Monsa website where you can get this book---> http://monsashop.com/es/ilustracion-y-arte-urbano/237-asian-illustrators.html

Story of Banpeiyu-chan

I found a new Friend in the kitchen, her name is Bampeiyu-chan.She is a Citron as big as my face! We hanged out for a while chatted and shared our childhood stories. Miichan kept her distance.  I think she was scared to see such a huge face floating  near her food and water. After few days I was hungry and Banpeiyu-chan was smelling so fresh...My stomach made a sound which it shouldn't make towards a friend... Ahhhhhhh!

so delicious...

The End

Happy New Year!

On New Year's day everything becomes new and sparkly like every experiences become "the first."  First Laugh, First meal, First dream, etc... so nice to have brand new year! welcome 2012!!!