Welcome to Kagetsu Design!
06/01/07 22:13 |
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Here at Kagetsu Design, my goal is to provide you with
beautiful japanese artwork, and jewelry personalized to
you. You will find a variety of products, most of which
can be customized to your specification. Here is a
little about the type of products and services offered
by Kagetsu Design:
Being a native-born Japanese person, my heart lies in Japanese art. I tend to paint simple and elegant subjects, often related to nature. Flowers, and koi are common subjects of Japanese artwork, but that is not to say that every artist renders them in the same way. You will find that my style is very different from that of other Japanese artists.
I mainly paint sumi-e and watercolor.
While I studied sumi-e with my mother and a private instructor when I was little, I am mostly self -taught. Because I studied calligraphy so much, the motions of the brush are very well known to me, so sumi-e comes very naturally to me.
I use a mix of American watercolor and a Japanese watercolor called Gansai. I enjoy painting with watercolor because it is so free flowing and fun. It’s interesting to see what comes out when the water dries. Watercolor is a free medium with a mind of it’s own and it is a difficult thing to get water to do what you want. Something else that makes it so different from any other artistic medium is how different paper with different absorbency and texture can lead to completely different results.
Iwaenogu is another Japanese paint medium I use, in which the paint is made from natural ore. I process that natural ore into a mixture that I can paint with. Some of the paintings in the store are done with Iwaenogu.
I spent some time in Santa Cruz, California, and there I learned some of the basics of metal work, which led to my sterling silver jewelry. I etch or stamp each and every kanji, and assemble each piece of jewelry by hand. I design and finish my jewelry with Japanese aesthetics in mind; mainly simplicity. I think you’ll find that most, if not all of my jewelry can be worn on any occasion, making it very versatile.
I like making jewelry because it’s so visible. I love the detail you can achieve with a painting, but only those who come to your home or office will see the work the artist has done. Jewelry on the other hand travels so well, and is therefore subject to a greater audience.
Hanko carving is a very relaxing art form for me. When I was younger, a hanko was made for me, but the institute where my mother was learning sumi-e also offered a class in hanko carving. I decided I wanted to make my own hanko, so I took a couple of classes to learn the basics, have just kept with it. I love making things with my hands, and hanko carving is no exception. I’ve been carving for about 9 years.
I started Japanese calligraphy when I was around 4 years old. I studied under my mother, who was a calligrapher. As I got a little older, I went to study with a private instructor. I continued with that instructor until I was about 20 years old when I left Japan. Calligraphy in Japan is just as much an art form as a painting or sculpture. It takes a very long time to become skilled in Japanese calligraphy, and is often used to accent other forms of Japanese artwork, like sumi-e paintings. I often use calligraphy in my watercolor, iwaenogu and sumi-e paintings.
I love to do commission work because it helps to push me in different directions, and helps me to think of things that I may not have been able to think about by myself. There are some things that I just may not be able to do, but who knows! If you are interested in a painting, but you do not like what you see in my store, please email me, and we can work something out. I would love for you to have one of my paintings.
Painting
Being a native-born Japanese person, my heart lies in Japanese art. I tend to paint simple and elegant subjects, often related to nature. Flowers, and koi are common subjects of Japanese artwork, but that is not to say that every artist renders them in the same way. You will find that my style is very different from that of other Japanese artists.
I mainly paint sumi-e and watercolor.
While I studied sumi-e with my mother and a private instructor when I was little, I am mostly self -taught. Because I studied calligraphy so much, the motions of the brush are very well known to me, so sumi-e comes very naturally to me.
I use a mix of American watercolor and a Japanese watercolor called Gansai. I enjoy painting with watercolor because it is so free flowing and fun. It’s interesting to see what comes out when the water dries. Watercolor is a free medium with a mind of it’s own and it is a difficult thing to get water to do what you want. Something else that makes it so different from any other artistic medium is how different paper with different absorbency and texture can lead to completely different results.
Iwaenogu is another Japanese paint medium I use, in which the paint is made from natural ore. I process that natural ore into a mixture that I can paint with. Some of the paintings in the store are done with Iwaenogu.
Jewelry
I spent some time in Santa Cruz, California, and there I learned some of the basics of metal work, which led to my sterling silver jewelry. I etch or stamp each and every kanji, and assemble each piece of jewelry by hand. I design and finish my jewelry with Japanese aesthetics in mind; mainly simplicity. I think you’ll find that most, if not all of my jewelry can be worn on any occasion, making it very versatile.
I like making jewelry because it’s so visible. I love the detail you can achieve with a painting, but only those who come to your home or office will see the work the artist has done. Jewelry on the other hand travels so well, and is therefore subject to a greater audience.
Hanko
Hanko carving is a very relaxing art form for me. When I was younger, a hanko was made for me, but the institute where my mother was learning sumi-e also offered a class in hanko carving. I decided I wanted to make my own hanko, so I took a couple of classes to learn the basics, have just kept with it. I love making things with my hands, and hanko carving is no exception. I’ve been carving for about 9 years.
Calligraphy
I started Japanese calligraphy when I was around 4 years old. I studied under my mother, who was a calligrapher. As I got a little older, I went to study with a private instructor. I continued with that instructor until I was about 20 years old when I left Japan. Calligraphy in Japan is just as much an art form as a painting or sculpture. It takes a very long time to become skilled in Japanese calligraphy, and is often used to accent other forms of Japanese artwork, like sumi-e paintings. I often use calligraphy in my watercolor, iwaenogu and sumi-e paintings.
Commission
I love to do commission work because it helps to push me in different directions, and helps me to think of things that I may not have been able to think about by myself. There are some things that I just may not be able to do, but who knows! If you are interested in a painting, but you do not like what you see in my store, please email me, and we can work something out. I would love for you to have one of my paintings.