The spring is coming! : New laser-cut limited edition of 4

The spring started last week, only on the calendar.  But we can feel the light is getting brighter and longer day by day.  I can hear birds singing  outside from early in the morning.  I can see buds on bare trees, still firm and small though.  Plants and animals are already sensing the spring.

This is one of my 4 limited laser-cut paper cut works, same size as the original one.  This is 27x27cm.

This paper is made with the rest produced through the bier brewery like hops, malt and cellulose.  It is much thicker than the black paper, which was used for the original paper-cut.



Nature's Precious Project I
(Laser-cut from the original paper-cut) 27x27cm, Gmund Bier Bock paper 270gsm

A new papercutting plot: Spring

After the hectic time, my feeling is settled down to concentrate on new work.

My theme still sticks to wild life, fauna and flora, in the changing seasons.  So, the upcoming work is 'spring' (a title is still not yet given, though).

It takes a while, until the draft for papercutting is done.  This is (picture below) a part of the draft for 'spring'.  Trace on a sheet of black paper, then start cutting.

Sessile Oak and English Oak: British Native Plants

There are so many wild plants around us.  But there are native ones and non-native ones.  Non-native plants are also wonderful; they were brought in the UK some time ago (some species were hundreds years ago!), and simply naturalised in the wildness.

The native plants are thought to have grown naturally in the UK ever since after the ice age.  Britain has a variety of (from Woodland Trust website)

My Etsy Shop is OPEN NOW!

My Etsy shop is open with recent screen prints, including the latest screen print 'Bluebells and Wood Mice' (10x10cm image on 21x21cm paper).

Now there are more seasonal autumnal prints available.  

Please visit my Etsy Shop:

mTreeLeaf

New! Spring Screen Print: 'Bluebells and Wood Mice'

New! Screen Print

'Bluebells and Wood Mice'

10x10cm on 21x21cm 270gsm paper

3 colours (water based acrylic ink)

The new screen print for this spring is now ready.

The new series sticks to the small 10x10 cm square size, but 3 colours are used (the previous series was used 2 colours.)  The background looks black in the picture but actually dark brown which adds softer atmosphere to the image.

After having made the latest original paper-cutting piece earlier this year,I worked on the computer to coordinate the colours.  Then I brought it to Printhaus in Cardiff.  (Although it's not hard to draw and create paper-cutting work, I cannot do screen print by myself because of my wrists' problem.)  Thanks again to the Printhaus in Cardiff for finishing the screen print work for me!

(Printhaus is an arts collective, based in Cardiff, Wales, UK, that actively supports local artists and offers small scale commissions from them like me.)

I am trying to reopen my Etsy shop soon.  This new screen prints as well as previous prints will be on sale.

'Bluebells and Wood Mice' was inspired from my favourite woodland near by our house.  It's a brief period of bluebell bloom, from late April to early May.  The native British (or Welsh) bluebells, not the cultivated Spanish one, thrives in ancient woods of mixed deciduous trees such as beech, ash etc.  We usually don't see animals that live in the woods, but can imagine their story.  Tiny wood mice and other small creatures, such as frog like in the picture, are busying themselves after waking up from hibernation, far away from a fox, roaming unknowingly elsewhere.

The first edition of 25 was put in a picture frame.  This size fits to a conventional picture frame from such as IKEA, NEXT, John Lewis, or of course a frame shop where you can order a tailor-made frame.

Updated Portfolio!

The last craft market before Christmas was over last Sunday.  Now, I have to gear up for the Christmas preparation.  Alongside I am trying to update the portfolio (See above this window. There are salmon pink tool bars.)  I have put part of the new pieces which I created for the solo exhibition in November in Japan.

Updated parts are:
Screen Prints: New!
and
Paper-Cut Art: UPDATED!

Please look at the difference between the original paper-cut artwork and the screen print.  They give you quite different impression.

For expample;

Paper Cut: Early Spring Woodland

It's not early spring more, almost the early summer is coming.  But here is a scent of the early spring.

The woodland protected the plants from the harsh weather in the last winter, though, it was mild and wet.  The flowers were blooming here and there on the sunny spots around the woodland.  The wild garlic were showing their young soft leaves from the ground with the subtle but distinctive scent in the beech woodland.  Animals were enjoying the beginning of the lively season.

Early Spring Woodland 2014

(A3, from original paper cut, processed with GIMP)

Paper Cut Work: Winter Woodland 2014

Today is the 1st of February 2014.  I notice the sunlight is getting stronger day by day.  What I am pleased is, the sky is bright when I get up in the morning.  I feel the tiny bit of spring. 

This winter, however, has been relatively mild and quite wet.  I saw a flooding ditch like a long pond or a stream alongside of the meadows where I often have a walk.  The ground of clay soil is everywhere muddy.  Around the meadows and the woodlands near my house I saw a decent mount of berries and rose hips, which feed wild animals.  Or, the mild warm autumn gave so many berries and fruits on the plants that animals cannot consume all of them?  

Anyway birds enjoy the very ripe red rose hips (I'd like to taste them!).  Ivy vines have the fruits ripening for animals.  The wet weather promotes fungi and mushrooms on dead tree trunks or in fallen leaves.  Small creatures like ladybirds and snails are waiting for the spring under the sheltered leaves.  The wooly inflorescence of traveller's joy (the old man'd beard) are still hanging on branches, waiting for their departure on a dry day.

The cream-coloured male catkins of hazel trees are hanging on the branches, and you can find tiny tiny red female catkins when looking closely at the branches.  (I couldn't put them on my work.)

This work, therefore, include a lot of berries and fruits.  The next winter might be much colder and snow.  But so far, the winter in the south Wales didn't let the animals starving, and the spring is approaching.

Winter Woodland 2014

(A3, original paper cut, processed with GIMP)

Summer is coming!

It's now in May!  After the long chilly spring, the summer is approaching to the South Wales.  At once many flowers have started blooming here and there.  Though, only a few common toad flax's sprouts are coming out of the soil.  In the front garden, now!, early dog violet are blooming, which bloom usually in April.  The plants have delayed their growth schedule a couple of weeks (even a month), but I hope they catch up soon by the summer comes.

By the way, I have taken part in a 2-days brush-up workshop for screen printing over the weekend.  (Hurray, tomorrow is a bank holiday.)  I have learnt screen printing in my student time, many years ago.  But I didn't remember how to do it precisely; perhaps the method might have changed.

But, it hasn't changed much.  As we proceeded the screen print, I was gradually remembered how to do it!  


I brought one of my latest paper cut as a try how to transform it onto screen prints.  We were allowed to make prints up to A3 size.  So I brought an A3 size black paper cut work.  All the flowers I cut out from the paper were grown in my garden.  In fact, it doesn't matter to see this picture up-side-down or from whichever side.

My Summer Garden 2013

(paper cut, black paper, A3)

I tried 2 coloured prints and 1 coloured prints on the second day.  At first I separated the picture into 2 parts with Photoshop.  For the 1st layer yellowish colour was used, fully covered with the colour all over except clouds in the centre.  The 2nd layer was practically the same as the original paper cut, and coral orange was used.

My Summer Garden Orange 2013

(Screen Print from original paper cut, 2 colours, water-based acrylic colour, white cartridge paper, A3)

My Summer Garden Green 2013

(Screen Print from original paper cut, 1 colour, water-based acrylic colour, white cartridge paper, A3)

Without great guide and a lot of useful suggestions by Jude, who led this workshop, I couldn't have enjoyed much.  Thank you so much, Jude!

(The workshop was held at the Printhaus, Cardiff.  Click the name, left, or see the Link List at the bottom of this page.)

Tree Leaf Freak: Paper Cuts: Spring Flowers 2013

Tree Leaf Freak: Paper Cuts: Spring Flowers 2013: It's getting brighter and brighter, and I'm delighted that it's not dark more when I get up in the morning.  The winter time ...

Paper Cuts: Spring Flowers 2013

It's getting brighter and brighter, and I'm delighted that it's not dark more when I get up in the morning.  The winter time will be switched to the summer time a couple of weeks!  Well, I have to get up 1 hour earlier but can feel the evening longer, which is nice.

I like flowers as well as trees.  These papar cuts are of primrose, early dog-violet and wood anemone.

Spring Flower Series 2013

<Primrose; Early Dog-Violet, Wood Anemone>

primrose 

(paper cut, black origami paper on white backed paper, 7.5x7.5cm, 2013)

Primrose has actually baby pastel yellow flower.  I didn't know that before having come to Europe from Japan.  Primroses there have mostly (or at all) vivid red, pink, violet flowers.  They are found in shady meadows, or on the ground near by woodland.

early dog-violet 

(paper cut, black origami paper on white backed paper, 7.5x7.5cm, 2013)

This tiny pastel violet plants have dwelled in our front garden for 5, 6 years.  Perhaps some small animals (like hedgehogs, cat, or even fox!) transported the seeds.  In a year the violets were scattered everywhere in the front garden.  They look very sensitive, but in fact, they have very strong roots, which are not simply got rid of.  I have tried to reduce them, but failed.  Now I gave up and enjoy the flower for tea, cake, salad.  I made even delicious jelly from the flowers.

wood anemone 

(paper cut, black origami paper on white backed paper, 7.5x7.5cm, 2013)

This wood anemone looks like fritillary, and yet I didn't doubt that it was so.  The bunch of white flowers were in a woodland near by Michealston-le-Pit (outskirts of Cardiff).  They looked like this picture when I saw.  It might be because it was in the early evening and the petals were closed for sleeping (or dreaming).  But anyway, this wood anemone is the only one of the three which has white flowers.

Still Chilly Week, Daffodil Shivering

I thought, it would get warmer this week after the last week's crisp sunny days.  But it hasn't.  The dark gloomy grey clouds has brought the cold air, even snow flakes!  Though, it stayed dry at least.  And yet plants need the warm weather and the moisture to boost their sprouting.

Daffodils, crocuses and hyacinth in our front garden have had some flower buds, but they hold their buds still tight.  Once the temperature rises, I'm sure they will all bloom at once.

Oh, I will have to tidy up our garden before the plants start to activate.

Daffodil (paper cutting, used origami paper, 10 x 10 cm)