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The Influence of a Chinese Blue and White Vase on Aubrey Beardsley's Iconic Art
As an artist and lover of art history, I've always been fascinated by the unexpected connections between different cultures and artistic...
Sep 19, 20242 min read


The 'Lover's Dream'
"Some will say they do not wish to dream their lives away. As if life itself were not a dream, a very real dream from which there is no...
Oct 23, 20224 min read


The Mystery of Foujita's White
Foujita (1886-1968) is an artist I have come to appreciate more and more over time; not just his depiction of cats and nudes, but also...
Apr 25, 20223 min read


Playing with Ink: 'Pomo' and 'Tarashikomi' Techniques
In my studies of the Rinpa school in Japan and their techniques for my own paintings, I suddenly realised something that I didn't think...
Mar 15, 20224 min read


Of Gods and Cats
I recently painted two cats on gold leaf with mineral pigment. In composition I wanted them to mirror each other like the Gods of Wind...
Mar 8, 20222 min read


In Praise of Gold: Using Gold Leaf
Junichiro Tanizaki (1886-1965) once wrote an aesthetic treatise titled 'In Praise of Shadows'. The essay discusses traditional Japanese...
Jan 24, 20225 min read

Dragon’s Blood Powder and Lapis Lazuli: How to Use Pigments
A major part of traditional Japanese and Chinese painting is the use of mineral pigments. Nowadays, colours and paint can be made...
Jan 17, 20224 min read

Sizing Paper
Sizing paper in the context I’m going to discuss isn’t about measuring the size, but rather applying a ‘sizing’ solution (usually some...
Jan 13, 20225 min read
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