Urushi, Japan
Urushi, Japan
In my career, I started a job about 30 years ago, as a food stylist of TV show, magazines, and advertising for my living by introduction of various people, and they helped me to have joy art indirectly.
Those experiences brought me Urushi, which is lacquer called Japan.
It is sap of Japanese sumac tree that is natural glue, glue the fragments of a plate back together.
It is called Kintsugi. In Japan, people have used Urushi for long time.
You know walls of temples, shrines are painted by Urushi.
Many pieces painted by Urushi have been discovered in the old remains of Jomon period about 6,000 years ago.
In my job, I used many kinds of wooden and ceramic ware, and also got many broken dishes, bowls too.
In the beginning time of my career, I had to give up those, but my husband had many old wood broken bowls they were handed down from his grandmother, I didn’t want to give up those because it is culture.
I decided to study how to repair those with Urushi and all natural materials which is traditional Japanese technic.
Sometimes my skin got rush and itchy from it. Now I am OK.
Since I started it I have been repaired many broken table wares and I started to use Urushi for my art pieces, too.
It takes time to go to next step in the process using Urushi.
After put Urushi and make it dry with moderate temperature and humidity.
It is about 25 degrees and 80%.
When it gets dry, I rub down the surface with sand paper or charcoal and put Urushi.
I do the same work process repeatedly.
Time moves very slowly in my studio as well as in Jomon period.
