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Figures, Dolls, Gourds |
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They lift up their paws
to invite luck and fortune
into shop and home
The paper used to cover
these little guys came from an amazing origami shop in Japantown, San Francisco called the
Paper Tree.
Linda there helped me pick out a beautiful handmade yuzen washi paper that suits them purrfectly!
They are also larger than the usual Minis.
PRICE: $20.00 US
made to order |
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March 3rd is the Hina Matsuri or Girl's Day
Festival in Japan. Many homes with little girls display traditional
dolls of an Emperor, Empress and their court. The simplest displays just
consist of the royal couple, then with the addition of accessories or
members of the court the sets can get very elaborate. Though not
technically Maneki Neko, hina dolls can supposedly bring fortune and
protection for a family's daughters.
Both Minis are covered in yuzen washi paper and their accessories are
polymer clay.
PRICE: $35.00 US for
set
made to order |
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In Japan, gourds are linked with success and
happiness. They were used as vessels, and are often seen with
Maneki Neko. So when I found these little bottle gourds in a local
bead and textile shop, I loaded up. Only later did I decide to
paint neko on them! Their pillows and collars are made from
chirimen, a common fabric in Japan for dolls, art, and kimono.
PRICE: $20.00 - $35.00 US
made to order |
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The Maneki Neko Geisha: Tamagin and
Tamakin. Each stands around 21 inches high and are hand-carved
foam rubber covered in chirimen. Their kimono and kanzashi (hair
ornaments) were all handcrafted by me as well. For their full
stories and larger photos, please visit
The Catnip and
Pussywillow World. |
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The neko is carved from foam rubber, and
then painted to resemble stone. The coin is polymer clay covered
in gold leaf. And I made his wee collar myself! (with the assistance of
my Chinese knotting book...)
The treasure chests are filled with Chinese new year chocolates. The
kitty and the chests were a present for the great folks at Rinkya, who
have bent over backwards to help me add to my neko and puppet
collections. |
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Illustrations |
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"Big Lucky"
This is my new mascot, Banko. I have one mascot for my business
already, but this little guy gets to represent the lucky cat end of my
retail business. This image was created as part of a local art
postcard project. And lucky for me he sold to a close friend!
The Kanji to his left reads "big good luck" To his right are koban
coins of assorted values. The Kanji on his apron is 'fuku'
and means 'luck'
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"Cherry Blossom Maneki Neko (white) and
Plum Blossom Maneki Neko (black)"
Created for 2006 Cincinnati Artworks Secrets project. The white
one was chosen as one of the top one hundred entries in the
project and was published in a paperback collection of the works
called
Exposed.
*acrylic paint, various art cardstocks and washi papers,
Swarovski crystals and real bells* |
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"Maneki Portabella"
I was telling my hubby about my buddy "foreverknight" and how her big
Maneki Neko got broken by her kitties. He asked if she was going to make
them dress up as one until she could replace it and this image came to
mind. I don't know if Portabella was the one who broke it, but since I
didn't want to spoil the surprise by asking...she had to take the blame.
Sadly, not long after this drawing was done, Portabella damaged her
spine and moved on to kitty heaven...
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"Maneki Tasi"
A little cartoon version of my Maine Coon, Tasi,
for one of my websites.
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"Tokyo Sushi Neko"
This image is a hand-painted cel with a printed
photo background. This was a gift for a local sushi restaurant.
They even printed it as part of their newspaper ad! |
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"Karakasa Maneki Nyokai"
Yokai are traditional Japanese monsters and
spirits. They can be silly, scary, dangerous, or harmless. I
decided to start doing a series of these traditional monsters - if they
were cats. I named the series "Nyokai" which is a play on 'nya,'
the Japanese form of 'meow.'
The yokai here is the Karakasa, the umbrella monster. A prevalent
belief in the old Japanese culture was that neglected or discarded
objects can take on a life of their own and will haunt their owners for
not thanking them properly for the years of service they provided.
The Karakasa is described as an umbrella with one large eye, one leg
where the handle should be, arms and a long tongue.
If you would like to know more about yokai I
suggest the
Obakemono Project and the US released film,
"The Great Yokai War."
Visit the
Western Artists page
to see the sculpture of this my husband made for me!
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Meet the Mahou Neko (magical kitty) team of
Itsutsu Nya (essentially "five meow"). This is a story in the vein of
Super Sentai (like Sailor Moon or Power Rangers) based on my favourite
Japanese legend "Tama-chan the Beckoning Cat." So in my lil' tale, these
five kittens go on a pilgrimage to Gotokuji and after much playing and
excitement, fall asleep just after praying at Tama-chan's grave. Her
spirit is moved by their visit and decides to bestow magical powers on
them. She gives them each a different coloured bell that allows them to
transform into kitten embodiments of Love, Luck, Wealth, Intelligence,
and Health. Their fur changes into the colour of their bells.
The colours are based on the principles of Feng Shui (I have a set of
Feng Shui kittens in my house in these five colours - and that inspired
me too).
Love= Pink, Luck= Purple (wards off evil), Wealth= Yellow,
Education/Intelligence= Green, Health= Blue
I am in the process of redesigning these
characters and illustrating their adventures. |
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This was an invitation I designed for my
birthday party one year. On the actual cards, the coin was a
separate piece that lifted up to reveal the date and time. |
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The Nekobasu (Catbus) from Tonari no Totoro (My
Neighbour Totoro) as a lucky cat. His sign reads "ooiri" meaning
"full house." Learn more about Nekobasu at the
Bake Neko Bus Stop. |
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