20121029

Pumpkin

Halloween Pumpkin by Yukié Matsushita, Illustrator in Paris 2012

Happy Halloween!

Happy All Saint Day!

Happy Pumpkin!


20121025

About Furoshiki


My brother's family came to visit Paris from Copenhagen in April this year. 
I taught my nieces (10) and nephew (14) some origami and they loved it! 
If you went to a kindergarten in Japan you learn it. 
When I was growing up my teenage years in Greenwich CT, 
sometimes I was hired to teach origami at children's birthday parties.  

My nieces packed all their origami creations in their suitcases 
but they forgot an origami frog. 




After my Danish family left, 
my cousin Toshiko and her daughter Sachiko came to visit us from Japan.
Sachiko spotted my nieces' origami frog, then I found out that 
Sachiko LOVES "frogs", she knew how to make a jumping frog 
and I taught her how to make this one. 

We had a great visit together. 
When my cousins went back to Japan, Sachiko sent me a book on "Furoshiki". 





I was delighted to receive the book; 
A Complete Guide to Furoshiki by Etsuko Yamada. 

My grandmother was using "Furoshiki" all the time. 
A Japanese friend gave me a "Furoshiki" long time ago, 
now I understand the ingenious way of using it. 

"Furoshiki" is quite clever. 
It is an origami fabric. 
It is how you fold and tie which is genius.
You can wrap so many different shape of objects beautifully

I love its simpleness, it is only a cloth.
I love its smartness, it looks really cool. 
I love the fact it is environmentally friendly. 
This Art of Japanese wrapping is worth spreading to the world. 

So this inspired me to illustrate a little book on "Furoshiki". 







Drawing of a frog



Thank you for my Danish and Japanese family for the fun time together,
and thank you Sachiko for sharing the book with me. 







A little book of 

'Furoshiki" 

Art of Japanese wrapping, 
L'art Japonais de l'embalage 
illustrated by Yukié Matsushita

will be on sale 
at the Marché de Noêl at the American Church in Paris. 


Save the Date!

20121021

Thinker

The Thinker in Rodin museum garden, Paris. Illustrator in Paris Yukié Matsushita

"Did you ever stop to think, and forget to start again?"
— Winnie the Pooh






Thinker Eraser


"The sooner you make your first five thousand mistakes, 
the sooner you will be able to correct them."
— Kimon Nicolaïdes




"Thinker Eraser" on sale at Rodin Museum in Paris, 3€. 






Simply thinking...


(of you)





20121015

Message




Just because the message may never be received 
does not mean it is not worth sending.  
— Segaki from a book "Love" by Leo Buscaglia 









If you share a good idea long enough, 
it will eventually fall on good people.
— Jim Rohn








"Dear Maître J.Y, 
Today I caught a big brown mouse for you. 

Proudly your cat, 


Notcha"








20121010

Teapot


Opportunity is like a cup of tea, have it while it's hot. — Jim Rohn





I went to see the new Islamic Art wing in the Louvre and I loved it.
I am especially drawn to their ceramic work. 
The details and colors are just so splendid. 
I am inspired to draw my teapot with their mosaic art. 




Islamic art and Japanese art are strongly influenced by Chinese art. 
My grandparents had many antique ceramics in their home, 
so when I see the ceramic/mosaic art, it gives me a nostalgic feeling. 




Japanese children learn to associate a rabbit with the moon 
from their folksongs and folktales. 

20121008

Balance





"L'equilibre des forces dans une forme déterminée."
(Blancing the forces in a defined form.)

"Le déssin est le fruit d'une rigoureuse division entre le clair et le foncé."
(The drawing is a fruit of a rigorous division between the light and the dark."

This week, I started "Drawing/Painting" class at "Mairie de Paris". These are quotations which I see on the studio wall. 

This is my third year taking Yanne Auguin's class. Yanne has a penchant for an abstract art. My work is not at all abstract so Yanne pushes me to go beyond the work of "representation"... 
It is very interesting what she teaches. It is difficult to comprehend or picture abstract art, but it is intriguing. 

First year I could not understand it very well. 
Last year, maybe I understood a little bit. 
This year I want to understand more about it. 

Not that my work will become abstract one day, but who knows? 


20121007

The Natural Way to Draw


A book by Kimon Nicolaïdes, © 1941 by Anne Nicolaïdes

Adele, my mother's best friend gave this book to me when I was 18 years old (which was a long time ago), a wonderful book on "How-to" draw. It is not only about "How-to" draw but it is really about "How-to" be an artist. 
All these years, I could never finish the exercises which Nicolaïdes suggests in the book. This is my "never-ending" New Year resolution; to do "The Natural Way to Draw". 

Nontheless, I LOVE this book. 
Nevertheless, I treasure the book and I love Adele for giving it to me. Adele is long gone today but I thank her always. 






Adele was a fashion illustrator like my mother was. She lived behind the Museum of Modern Art in NYC. I remember visiting her often and I remember Charles + Ray Eames chair in Adele's apartment. 

20121006

"YES I CAN"




Can I? Or can't I?
If I can, can we? 
"YES WE CAN" but I CAN NOT (alone).
But if "I CAN", "YOU CAN" and "YOU CAN", etc.
May be "WE CAN"...

...I CAN draw a CAN. 




Just a little carrot



The other day my friend Laurie gave me a deformed carrot to draw and eat.
I drew it, and I made a carrot soup and ate it. That was delicious. 








20121001

Past Events

Le Beffroi des Artistes du 1er, 2012








Journées Portes Ouvertes, 2011









Deux Artistes Japonaise à Paris, 2011 






Journées Portes Ouvertes, 2010