February 2015
Update still to come... for now, take a look at the final verison of my INKtober page. Several things on the horizon, including colour sumi ink wash. For now, I am still working on the items listed below. I'll be sure to post more up to date pictures once I have them.
Three of my current projects:
1) "Big Blue" (see photos) - a painting in Holy Grail Gesso and sumi ink that is an exploration of clouds, geometric patterns, and The Fibonacci Sequence. My designs are inspired by Japanese post-war artist Nakamura Masayoshi
Planning out "Big Blue"... that's how the LRC do.
Some patterns for "Big Blue" from Nakamura Masayoshi's
artwork for the acclaimed 1964 movie Kwaidan.
and some metallic temporary tattoos from The Darling Tree that were a gift from my dear friend and fellow Triangle! creative mastermind participant, Bec Leigh. If you are a writer (or creative of any kind) who is looking for inspiration, I highly recommend following Bec's current progress. Her most recent Letters for the Reckless was a real mindblower in which she talks about one of the most challenging aspects of being an artist: sharing your voice with the world!
2) "Ukiyo" - my illustrated novel. I'm continuing to work on the nuts and bolts, including editing, structuring and illustrations. Most recently, I mapped out the sections of the story, and ordered them according to season. In Japan life is very seasonal, and both the outer and inner journeys of the protagonist will mirror this. One of my goals in this novel is to facilitate a tangible understanding of Japan for my readers, and I'm hoping do that by focusing on seasonal traditions that are still strong today.
3) Untitled encaustic series "mapping" my childhood in Australia - this project is wax on wood panel and combines concepts from Azuchi Momoyama Period artworks with actual maps of my hometown, Thirroul. The clouds are inked in Black Walnut Ink made in Connecticut by my partner Harrison's parents. It is in the beginning stages as a series, but seems to so far be incorporating aspects of my life up until this point in a very cumulative way, both in concept and materials.
Until next time, here's to creative flow...
Leah Richmond Cooper
A green and yellow map, the second layer of my as of yet untitled encaustic
series "mapping" the location of my childhood home in Australia.
Some detail of the first layer clouds on "Big Blue". Sumi ink patterns will be in gold.
all photos © 2015 Leah Richmond Cooper