I've just returned from five heady weeks in Tokyo, soaking up life back in the old metropolis, the place I lived for nearly half my life. Every year daughter and I go back to Japan, usually in the summer, every year we return with new and unique experiences, the only constant being the humidity and the constant murmur of cicadas, though this year there were several unseasonably cool spells amidst the swelter.
It's wonderful to explore familiar locations, see old friends and family, but I also had a very busy schedule of preparation, culminating in a ten day solo exhibition at
Space Yui in Aoyama, followed by another seven day show (currently still running as I write) at
Yui Garden in Yokohama.
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| The front porch of Space Yui |
No matter how many years go by my fascination with Tokyo remains undiminished, I try to be as busy as I can when we go back, it's a city that demands purpose and direction
. As I no longer live in Japan I find that without such direction and with daughter mostly staying with her grandparents I start to feel an emptiness, ponder too deeply on the past and other topics best left alone. No, move on, on, always onwards! Like the city itself, my relationship with Tokyo is constantly evolving, the journey continues.
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| Hanging day at Space Yui with gallery owner Hideyo Kimura |
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| It's On! |
It's been busy, inspiring and very encouraging. The exhibition, still on at Yui Garden, centres around original artwork from my recent picture book
Stone Giant (
Ishi no Kyojin in Japanese), from which visitors can order
Neograph prints (
giclée art prints overprinted with a fine silkscreen
to prevent oxidation and deterioration of colour, rendering prints that are virtually indistinguishable from artwork). I also created several smaller pieces of original art specifically for the show.
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| Book of prints, and artwork from Stone Giant |
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| Some of the smaller images created especially for the show |
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| The Librarian |
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| Wolves in the Forest |
The gallery staff have been supportive beyond measure, Space Yui is a key part of my platform in Japan, the care and encouragement I receive there is inspiriting and progressive, all credit due to Kimura-san and her team.
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Opening party, with guests including Komine Shoten editor
Tsuyoshi Yamagishi (left) and picture book creator Satoshi Kitamura (right) |
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| Opening party - with Togo Kasahara, designer Hiroyasu Murofushi (I & I Inc) and Takeshi Fujisaki |
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Opening party, with illustrator Satoshi Kitamura (background),
curator Taiko Nakazawa, Tomoe Furuhashi and DJ Young Richard |
The show at Space Yui began with a busy opening followed by a regular stream of visitors, I was quite overwhelmed by the large number of attendees. Signed copies of the Japanese edition of
Stone Giant (
Ishi no Kyojin) sold out within the first few days and had to be re-stocked by publisher Komine Shoten.
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| Signed copies of the Japanese edition Ishi no Kyojin |
There were several highlight successes, the biggest being news of several competing offers for the Japanese rights to my next US book
Crinkle, Crackle, Crack!. Written by Marion Dane Bauer (who also wrote the 2012 released
Halloween Forest), the US edition is due for publication through Holiday House next year. I'll post more about the Japanese edition when details have been confirmed.
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| With art director Susumu Yamada (Tokyo Planet Design) |
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| With members of SCBWI Japan |
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| With Emi Noguchi |
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| With my daughter and photographer Hitoshi Iwakiri |
The exhibition is now on at the fabulous new gallery
Yui Garden in Nakamachidai, Yokohama. In a building created by and for an architect's design office that overlooks Seseragi Park, the setting, interior and atmosphere is simply exquisite. If you're in the area before it closes on the 8th please do drop by.
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| Entrance to Yui Garden |
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| The show at Yui Garden |
It's been a wonderful summer. Many thanks to all the gallery staff and visitors to the exhibition!
I'm currently in Tokyo again, preparing for my upcoming exhibition at SPACE YUI in Aoyama. The show runs from 21st-30th August, and will be chiefly showing original artwork from my recent picture book Stone Giant (Charlesbridge/Komine Shoten), plus there will be other original artwork on sale, copies of the book, prints and Tshirts. If you're in town please drop by the show! I'll be at the gallery from around 2pm daily.
Space Yui is open 11.00am-19.00pm daily (closed Sunday). Nearest stations are Gaienmae and Omotesando on the Ginza line.
After the close of the show at Space Yui, the exhibition will be re-shown for another week at a new gallery Yui Garden, set in the relaxed environment of Seseragi Park in Nakamachidai, Yokohama. However I'll be on my way back to the UK by then so won't be in the gallery.
Yippee! Today the US edition of Jane Sutcliffe's picture book Stone Giant - Michelangelo's David and How He Came to Be is officially released.
Some time ago when the Japanese edition was advance-released I blogged about my process in creating the illustrations for this title, now, finally it's revealed to the public in it's originally commissioned, English edition for the United States. Other than language the only differences are a somewhat different cover for the Japanese edition, and an artist statement from me instead of the list of sources on the last page of the US edition. However the American edition is printed in a slightly silkier, matte paper, which gives it a feeling reminiscent of classic older books. As today is the release day, here are a couple more of the artwork interiors before text was added! Charlesbridge has posted an interview with Jane about Stone Giant here. I was interviewed about the illustrations by Elizabeth Dulemba here. Reviews have already been very supportive of the book! Kirkus Reviews has called it "a handsome offering that helps youngsters understand both an artist’s process and how this stunning statue became the enduring symbol of a city and its people". A School Library Journal review posted on the Charlesbridge site states "This well-written, lively account is graced with excellent illustrations, rendered in pen-and-ink and painted with watercolors, that truly convey a Renaissance Italian flavor". Smart Books for Kids says it's an "Engaging storytelling with beautiful illustrations". So I'm hoping the book will do well!
The book is on sale in the US, and also through online sellers in the UK and elsewhere. I always recommend people buy or order copies through their local bookshop whenever possible, but here are some direct online links:
