Day 4916: Washi tape & Singapore's Otter Patrol.

"Disparate": junk collage, inks, digital.

       

                                                                       

  

Want music?

    Click: Paul Simon, You Can Call Me AL.

2GN2S

 When I saw "New Washi Tape Paintings by 

Nasa Funahara", I knew it was too good not to share ...

Johannes Vermeer’s “Girl with a Pearl Earring” recreated in washi tape. The piece was part 

Vermeer Tribute Exhibition in Japan.

The Japanese artist Nasa Funahara’s obsession with washi

 tape began with the simple hobby of collecting. 

Utagawa Kuniyoshi’s depiction of a face comprised of human bodies, recreated in masking tape

It was in college when Nasa decided to use her masking tape 

as part of a class assignment and the response was huge. 

So she began replicating famous paintings using only washi.

Four years ago, Nasa had a collection of roughly 450 rolls 

of masking tape, and that collection has since grown. 

What’s also grown is Nasa Funahara’s body of work. 

a recreation of Jakuchu Ito’s tiger

“Both my parents worked in the aeronautics and space industry,” explains Nasa. “On the day before I was born, Mamoru Mohri went into space on the Space Shuttle Endeavour. To commemorate the occasion my parents named me Nasa.” 

a recreation of Jakuchu Ito’s golden pheasant

Do you know washi tape? Do you have washi tape?

Washi is a type of Japanese paper tape that is typically made from natural fibers like hemp or bamboo. Some varieties of washi are made using the mitsumata shrub or gampi tree, two plants native to Japan.

Thanks to its durability and unique style, this beautiful tape 

has become a popular staple for all kinds of arts. 

Acquired over the years, I have 94, I counted, not counting my masking tapes. I bet there are artists reading this who have much more? The variety of colors and designs pull you in, but when you use it, you usually have lots left? And so, mine just sit there.

I am embarrassed to have accumulated so many. As you might know, Japanese washi tape comes in all sort of colors, patterns and designs. And at ($2 -$3) a pop, they’re pretty and an easy impulse purchase. I hate to waste anything, my Mom was real big on that. I am giving away a lot of art supplies, but it doesn't seem to "make a dent?" If Miss Funahara was closer, I'd be glad to drive over and drop off my collection. Another problem to solve? Maybe a collage? Yeah, that'll happen.

You might hear stories about otters being “trained” to patrol reservoirs and control invasive fish, as if they are part of a planned wildlife program. The reality is simpler and, in its own way, even more impressive: otters are highly intelligent predators, and when their habitats support them, they naturally hunt and shape what lives in the water.

What makes this idea so appealing is the principle behind it. A balanced ecosystem can do work that machines and chemicals often try to force, but with far less disruption.

Sometimes the best solution is not adding more technology. It is letting nature do what it already knows how to do.

 

  

 

A special 4+ minute video, Magic pothole, here.

 

 

Just because ...

Hawaiian Honeycreeper

 Sunday's Smiles ... 

 

Hoping you feel all the good things in your day.