Japan
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Tokyo and Toyama Washoku (Japanese Food) Excerpts
From the quirky dishes of the lively Izakayas in the East side of Tokyo to Toyama’s famous salty Black Ramen and fish for sushi and sashimi from the rough seas of the Toyama Gulf (Japan Sea). And the fantastic Gyouza button for service at Oushou…
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Journey skywards – Tokyo Skytree and Umihotaru Sea Station
grey-white-grey no rust steady waymarker visitor blanketed platforms contained taiyaki and colonel saunders ready for christmas deep blue negatives and folding darknesses drawing looking up straining higher shards segmented triangulated steel glass black flashing yellow next to grey shadows smooth time tarmac slowed right down drifting wheels spinning units glittering objects acceleration past watchtowers over
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Danjuro Ichikawa – The World of Aragoto
A few days after a friend kindly let me know about this exhibition (and giving me a ticket!) I headed to Yurakucho and over to Hibiya Koen on a chilly damp day, and past the old pines and sparrow filled gardens down to the Hibiya Library Museum. Nice to revisit this area where I spent
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Trip to Noto Hanto peninsula, Ishikawa Ken
The towering Niou guardians upon entering the thousand year old Myoujoji Temple (Nichiren Shu), on the West side of Noto. Sacred rocks and shinto shrine, brief stop on the road north towards Wajima.. Lunch stop restaurant had its own guardian, a slightly plump dragon with a chainsaw, sculpting a mushroom. Pic on right was the
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Tokyo Art Exhibitions – MOT and David Lynch at LAFORET
During my show in Omotesando I was delighted to see David Lynch had an exhibtion on at the Laforet Department Store’s Gallery, just down the road at the Harajuku crossing. I popped in a few days later. The building’s quirky angled and funky interior design and disco colours were really 80’s and the general mood
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Recent artworks formed in and around Shibuya and Omotesando…
Using calligraphy boards, pens and mixed media I’ve made a series of around thirty new pieces, which I’m planning to continue. The local environment was an excellent area for creativity … Flashing colours, strange kitsch and metal fading into black-blue… Standalone doors to nowhere, windows into new worlds…
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Traces of Time | 時間の足跡
Here are a selection of images of the show plus some Omotesando street views around Gallery 80 in Omotesando Hills building (Aoyama area, Tokyo). It was a very pleasant time of year with the Autumn leaves gathering and crisp clear blue nights…
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Journey to Tokyo from Glasgow by jumbo jet and shinkansen
After arriving in Japan I had a couple of weeks to prepare the works, organise mounting, liaise with Gallery 80 and develop my self-styled ‘black box’ multimedia construction. Time was pressing but with lots of kind and well timed help we had everything organised. Special thanks to Aki-san, Tanaka Shin-san, and gallery visitor turned assistant
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Colours and shapes in the kitchen…
Enjoying some simple cooking in the last month or so with classic Japanese sauces – the black bream worked out really well baked in foil in a hot oven with bata shoyu (butter and soy sauce mix) and some veg. A wee side dish that was also quite nice was aubergine, carrot and sweet potato