Size matters: big temari balls

Temari on the LARGE side

   Now, now. Calm down. This is not an X-rated blog post!

Temari on display, Japan Center in Raleigh, NC

What a delight is was for me to work with Dana and Keiko Raymond to put together a display for the upstairs classroom at The Japan Center! I learned so much about display and creating a cohesive show. Dana challenged me to combine nine to twelve temari in hanging displays to cover four different spots on the wall. I sorted the temari into four groups and constructed a bamboo hanger by bundling five thin pieces together. Dana and Keiko help me arrange the temari for each wall and I attached them to the bamboo rods with perle cotton.

Basic Shapes (from below)

Temari Treasure

Temari Treasure
by Barbara B. Suess

An early morning visit to the antique market one fall yielded treasures galore – bits of antique chandeliers, beads, and metal medallions snipped from found objects. We sorted through bins to find the perfect treasures to repurpose in the creation of unique temari art.

This four inch diameter temari has a core of rice hulls and a rattling bell box filled with beads and positioned deep in the center. Thin black metallic thread makes an almost invisible marking (a simple 12-division).  Kiku herringbone designs stitched with satiny-looking rayon thread surrounds the antique metal medallions positioned at each pole, north and south. Coppery ribbon and sparkling green netted thread zigzag around the temari's equator and create frames for bamboo-colored embroidered flowers. 

Harvest Moon Japanese Temari

Harvest Moon
Japanese Temari by Barbara B. Suess

Yesterday, cherry blossoms

Tomorrow, red maple leaves –

Today's moon. (Buson)

In Japan, a full moon symbolizes autumn, just as cherry blossoms signify spring, and snow is the sign of winter. 

Moon viewing parties introduced from China celebrate the full moon of mid-autumn. Offerings of thanks for a good harvest are set upon a small table facing east. A display of autumn grasses sets off a pyramid of balls made especially for the season from rice flour, or a careful arrangement of melons or other harvest fruits. This is a time to gaze at the moon, sip green tea, and reflect upon the wonders of nature.

Harvest Moon is a large 42 centimeter diameter temari wrapped with soft yarn and dark red thread around a five inch diameter Styrofoam core.  It was marked with fine gold metallic thread into 272 centers. Bamboo-colored perle cotton was wrapped over the marking lines. Triwings were stitched in blue, green, and red perle cotton. Small hexagons were then stitched around each center.

To display this work, a black stand purchased at the museum shop of the Japan Temari Association in Tokyo is included. Also included are a history of temari and a description of this particular temari, signed by the artist.

Shipping is by priority mail to US locations and is included in the price. If you are located outside the US, I will send you an invoice for the extra postage needed to send Harvest Moon to you.

Visit the shop page for this temari

Unfolding Kiku

Unfolding Kiku
Japanese Temari by Barbara B. Suess

It's time for me to raise some funds for my trip to Japan and time to destash! I have a lot of temari that I need to find homes for and the first is up for sale in my shop. I'll put it on etsy as well. Please have a look at Unfolding Kiku and consider adding this unique Japanese temari to your collection of fiber art.

Link to this item in my shop

Fall Exhibition at the NC Japan Center

Opening Reception: SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10 from 4 - 6 PM

Greetings!

We are now enjoying comfortable days. The summer must be coming to an end. We hope you are doing well.

The Japan Center wants you to join us at our reception celebrating the fall exhibition, which is coming right after the Labor Day weekend. This time we are presenting two artists, Reiko Chosokabe who is originally from Tokyo, Japan, and Barbara Suess from Raleigh, NC. Reiko has been living here in NC since 1992. Her whimsical paintings are abstract creations in acrylic. Some of Reiko’s inspiration comes from the Japanese language school where she currently teaches. She also works at the NC Japan Center.

Barbara Suess’s works are temari, which are intricate, decorative balls. She is an expert at this traditional Japanese craft. Barbara is a certified teacher and also a published author of temari books. She lived in Japan for four years in the 1980’s and continues to carry and develop the ancient techniques.

We hope you can join us and meet these remarkable artists. We are also looking forward to enjoying an interlude by Onju-kai, which is a musical combo including koto, flute, and viola.

We hope you can set aside this date to join us:

Saturday, September 10 from 4-6pm at the NC Japan Center.

The NC Japan Center’s exhibition program has blossomed with success due to the continuing generosity of support by Eiko Goti and Yoko Yamagishi. Our sincerest gratitude to both.

Sponsors:

Southern Bridge Int’l, Inc.

US Remac, Inc.

Dana Raymond

Art Curator, NC Japan Center

"They delight the eye and satisfy the soul."

The Art Museum of Greater Lafayette sent me brochures for the upcoming exhibition that include three of my temari.

Here's a quote from the brochure:
"This is a fabulous collection of work that celebrates the imagination by showcasing splendid crafts from invited, nationally renowned artisans. The works are creative and innovative in form and materials, including glass, metal, fiber, wood and clay. These objects were chosen because they delight the eye and satisfy the soul. We sought uncommon beauty and good design in common objects. All of the works will be for sale."

Hooray for Fiber Art!

Packing up three of my temari babies for the gallery in Indiana

A few weeks ago, I got a a surprise email from The Art Museum of Greater Lafayette to participate in the Making It In Crafts National Invitational exhibition beginning May 20 and running until September. Exhibiting temari as fiber art has been on my to-do list for a long time and I'm thrilled that the guys from the museum in Indiana discovered my website and sent me an invitation! I only wish it were closer to North Carolina so I could go and see all the other fiber art on display.