If you love indigo, then you will likely be bowled over by this book which Adeline gave me for Christmas. Titled JAPAN BLUE, it contains page after beautiful page of Shihoko Fukumoto's dyeing works from 1977 to 2015. The book is beautifully presented, with text in both English and Japanese. indigo threads, dyed by Fukumoto, grace the binding.

The book has joined my other “blue” books and it’s one I’ve enjoyed spending time with. It would be lovely to sit and actually read all of my art books. It seems I only browse them, admiring the photos, gleaning a bit of information here and there, but that’s all. I have a feeling I’m not the only one who does this.

Perhaps less time spent online would leave more time to sit with my books and a nice cup of tea; or, these hot summer days, a tall glass of iced tea. It’s a goal worthy of aspiration, although the days fly by with barely any time for such luxuries.

I wonder, when did I start thinking of reading a book as a luxury? That’s just not right! Below are garments which have been deconstructed and dipped into the indigo vat. I love the way they “feel.”

I cannot fathom how Fukumoto managed to create this series of hangings. The precision involved, the absolute mastery of technique … boggles the mind.

Wouldn’t I just love to have this scattering of magical squares hanging on a wall in my home. There is so much movement, and lest you assume these wonderful circles of light are merely made by happy chance, I encourage you to take some time to study this piece … quite a bit of control went into creating such a seemingly spontaneous result.

At the very least, I’d like to spend some time at ABC Carpet’s IC location, and I definitely want to visit th Hygge Hause.

Recently I participated in a shibori workshop offered by Cooper-Hewitt and located in Brooklyn’s Industry City. What a grand day it was! The shibori workshop was fun, but much less sophisticated than what I was expecting. I had been hoping to learn some in-depth information and or techniques, but it was more like a fun project for an afternoon at day camp. Still, no complaints, because everybody had a good time and we all went home with our projects in hand. Plus, seeing Industry City was a real eye opener. I think I’d like to go back and explore.

That same day, my friend and I walked for a bit on The High Line and then went inside the Whitney to see the Biennial. I was particularly taken with the sculptural work by Robert Bittenbinder. We also walked through much of the permanent collection, which was heavenly.

It was a good day, a lovely day, with an old friend … someone I’ve known since childhood. It’s a friendship I treasure. Partly because he is such a good and true friend, and partly because he knows about all my bumps and bruises, where I come from, who I’ve been, what I’ve done. There is no imaginable need for artifice … in fact, any such attempt would be laughable. And that, my friends … to feel that comfortable and unfettered with another person … that is wonderfully liberating.

It seems fitting, now, to re-post this poem I wrote several years ago …