Caithness art heads for Tokyo
After months of e-mail negotiations local weaver and texture artist Joanne Kaar was delighted to tell www.johnogroat-journal.co.uk this week that a design shop in the Japanese capital has placed a substantial order of her artwork.
Just this week Joanne packed and posted the first package of work to the two studio shops run by fashion designers Kyoko Ide and her husband.
The pair have ordered a variety of things including Joanne’s string animals which Joanne made at the Wigtown Book Festival where she is currently artist-in-residence.
Many of the handmade paper items the design shop are interested in are from her work inspired by the Robert Dick pressed herbarium collection in Caithness Horizons centre in Thurso.
Kyoko was inspired by these when deciding to order string animals which take months at a time to make.
Kyoko found the Caithness artist initially via the ‘SoundSlide’ made by Nick Hand.
In 2009 Nick, cycled around the coast of the UK, visiting Artisans along the way, interviewing them and taking photos. He put these together to make ‘SoundSlides’. Hie adventure was called SlowCoast and was also raising money for Parkinsons Disease. The SoundSlides from around the coast are all available to view online: http://www.slowcoast.co.uk/
Joanne’s Soundslide can be found here: http://www.slowcoast.co.uk/soundslides/soundslide.php?id=62/