Tomobako

When I was in undergraduate school (East Carolina University) working towards a BFA, I was introduced to the book, "How To Wrap Five More Eggs", a publication on traditional Japanese packaging. My minor study was wood design (my major being the obvious...ceramics) so I started making wooden containers based on this concept.

Years later, I now find myself reconnected with Japanese packaging through "tomobako", or wooden presentation/storage boxes, for my ceramics. I am very fortunate to have a friend living in Japan that has these made for me and shipped over. In an effort to make these boxes more personal, and not an attempted copy, I started investigating abstract brushwork using acrylic paints. Here is a recent box, which accompanies the guinomi shown: