Well here's today's little story. I spent the morning attempting to make a cover for a new notebook, and after four hours the result was so embarrassingly terrible I think it's probably going to end up in the bin (>_<) so I was not feeling too happy about what felt like a waste of a Sunday morning. I didn't even learn anything from the exercise. I knew when I started '
this is not something you are normally good at doing' (as in, improvising with bits of fabric, including one piece of fabric that I hate anyway - why make something out of another thing that you don't even like? Gah!). Anyway, the result was that after a few more hours of sort of sloping around feeling miserable, not up to anything, tired, grumpy and achy I realised that I'm actually coming down with a bug too. So, I thought, perfect excuse to get into bed and feel sorry for myself for a bit until I get better.
A friend messaged me on my phone from Japan. He's just moved to Nagasaki and in the course of having a little chat, me having a gentle whinge and him being very encouraging about my arty-creative work things, he mentioned an exhibition he had been to recently, which reminded him of my stuff...
How ridiculously cute is this??!! And lucky Nagasaki!! BRING THIS SHOW TO LONDON PLEASE! It turns out that I have seen the work of Mary Blair before, and in fact I own one of her books, the simple and charming 'I Can Fly' - I bought it last time I was in Tokyo at
Crayon House. So I knew I loved her work and I'd seen it before but I hadn't remember her name (it isn't so obvious on the book to be fair!).
She worked for Disney in the 1940s ( working on films such as Alice in Wonderland, for example, probably a reason for her huge popularity in Japan - did I tell you there is an Alice themed restaurant in Tokyo?... anyway, I digress...) and she did lovely picture books throughout the 50s and 60s. This picture must be the Mad Hatter's Tea Party! I love the long shadows from the tables, and the blue forest behind... what vivid, awesome colours!
You can find out better information about her on the cute website that was set up and run by her nieces
HERE (see screenshot below). This site has a gallery of her work which is interesting to browse through, I really recommend it...
I love this little plate she did for a relation (perhaps a niece?)
Mary also did advertisements and posters for chocolate milk! It's a similar style to her 'I Can Fly' cover, which is why I picked this particular picture I guess (^u^).
And finally, just as I was looking through the section on personal work, I think it clicked why my friend had thought of me... Mary also like drawing redheads with kitties! haha! Now of course there is no way I'm suggesting I'm the next Mary Blair, she's way out of my league, and our styles are different after all, but I think I do see a similarity in theme and tone... what do you reckon?
Anyway, talking to a friend who totally understands the whole 'I need to keep making things to stay sane' thing, and discovering Mary's work really cheered me up, and although I'm still feeling grotty I don't feel so 'oh what's the point in ANYTHING' any longer, which is definitely a good thing!
Hurrah for instant message apps and mobile technology - I can talk to people on the other side of the globe, instantly, whilst lounging in my bed - woo!!
The cover - I think I got a little carried away with it, but then once I'd gone too far there was no turning back!
You can't go to Japan and not do 'purikura' - which are basically fun photo booths! Also, if you are in Tokyo and you like Moomins, check out the Moomin cafe at Tokyo Dome!
Haha... receipts from Don Quixote and Junie Moon, and the bottom right is a leaflet from a really lovely ryokan (a traditional style hotel) I stayed in back in 2008 in Nikko.
