Retiring from a forty year career in television and media production, I built a small sound/video production studio to continue recording voiceover, and when not pursuing clients in that field, turned my hand to learning the ancient Japanese art of Kumiko. It is an art form dating back well over a thousand years, and is firmly embedded in the cultural life of Japan. There is symbolism in the hundreds of patterns used within Kumiko, a great many of them tied to nature and spirituality. Making kumiko is a very demanding endeavour which continues to teach me patience and humility, and affords an opportunity to exercise creative muscles. There is always a new pattern to learn, and perhaps new ways in which it can be incorporated into others.
While I enjoy making the traditional patterns, I like to explore more modern twists such as the addition of coloured resins, and model ways to frame the work. As I continued to make more and more pieces, and was running out of family and friends to whom I could present it, I thought I would step out into the world and see if others may be interested in it too. That seems to be the case, and so my professional website has a page dedicated to my Kumiko work.
As I practice the craft for pleasure, and have little interest in simply churning out dozens of pieces in the hopes of finding a market, I would much rather offer custom pieces. If you see something you like on my webpage, let’s chat and I’ll make you one.
