Lockdown no 3 was tough, but having some great memories and many photographs to look back on was a definite plus! Five years ago we were in Japan and among the many amazing things we loved were the beautiful arrangements of flowers in some of the hotels and places of interest we visited. Ikebana is the term used in Japan for these simple but meaningful displays and they are placed in a tokonoma or alcove often with a scroll with Japanese characters, or picture hanging behind.
These displays inspired me to make my own versions, using collage, incorporating some of the papers, stamps and other items gathered while travelling. Tatami mats are used in houses throughout Japan, and paper screens are also still used in many traditional homes.
I wasn't expecting to exhibit these pictures, but was recently invited to do so, alongside the beautiful Japanese watercolours of Katsumi Harada, late father of Junko Lake who I met just before we went to Japan and who gave me Japanese lessons, which proved invaluable during our travels!
The exhibition will be at Malmesbury Town Hall from Friday 28th May until Friday 18th June 2021, closed Sundays and Bank Holiday Monday 31st May.
A separate blog will give the biography of Katsumi Harada.
