week 3 signs and shop murals

out to lunch

these images are of garage doors that close over shops surrounding temples. there are many tiny galleries, cafes, and flower shops selling all kinds of art and hand made things. I have recently become interested in the food trucks in Philadelphia, because they are ubiquitous, and seem to have so much potential. These shops feed the same curiosity and pleasure. It can be really simple. One thing I've noticed is that most of the owners have a workshop in the back, or are working on something at the counter, it feels comfortable.

floating away week 2

I have been in and out of wireless range for weeks now, when I have it I am so tired that I end up writing and drawing before going to sleep. I wanted to post some pictures of the Lucie Rie exhibition that I went to at Tokyo National Art Center.

I had just started getting interested in pottery when I found the Hans Coper monograph at the Lancaster Library. I loved his work, and started to read about L.R. too. Ten years later, I was in nyc with my sister Elaine, in a flea market type store, and I recognized a tiny brown and white cup with sgraffito. It had a loose chip, but was intact, and I was able to buy it for about $4.00.

I was so excited to find this piece. (She had an account with Macy's for awhile.)

Seeing this retrospective was lovely, and it was beautifully presented. You could see the full arc of her exploration and development as an artist, complete with letters, glaze notebooks, photographs of her studio and home, an interview with David Attenborough and a korean full moon jar that Bernard Leach had lent her. Her work is so thin, has such intensity of purpose, and the bowls feel buoyant, like they might just float away.

food, inns

Last year I read a Field Guide to Getting Lost by Rebecca Solnit. It's not a book that you can just read through and forget about, I keep thinking about it, I gave it to a friend just before I left. Getting lost in tokyo is a rite of passage, it seems, and I have been enjoying wandering around, in no rush to get anywhere, just looking at things, and practicing Japanese. Here are some of the highlights.

I forgot the before photo, but the soba noodles are so delish...

vegetarian curry and all you can eat naan, but I could only finish this one

rainy sunday

even the trees get wrapped

back staircase at taito

interior window at taito

I found this stone wall outside of the museum near the Emperor's grounds

display in antique store specializing in African artifacts

miso at Takashimaya...