Q
we had to choose between playing
Did you have any mentors? What was your greatest inspiration?
in
home
My father was my first mentor. Also, I
thought
feel a strong connection with Japanese
home economics would serve me
culture and design, and was greatly
better than playing an instrument,
influenced as a kid by my Japanese
which I really resented. Anyway,
great-grandmother, who taught me to
I was pretty creative in my sewing
hand-sew little pouch bags as well as the
class and did well.
art of origami. My paternal grandmother,
by the Girl Scouts. In high school, a
band
economics.
and My
studying parents
Q
who sewed dresses and wedding gowns,
When did you decide to become an artist? Did you study? What other media do you work in, if any?
was a big influence, too. In my work,
I studied architecture and fine arts
every day. My travels, too, are an endless
for four years, but leaned more
source of inspiration.
I’m continuously inspired by nature, and by the people and artifacts I observe were discussing all these possibilities
Q
when I came up with the idea of the
toward fine arts than to the technical
used tea bag as a canvas. It sounded
While I didn’t actually attend a
How did you begin this form of artwork? Tell us the story.
formal art school, I took life drawing
I often reflect on how it all began.
opened the soggy tea bag and left
classes at the Art Students League of
The theme of my very first exhibit in
some tea leaves on the tea bag paper,
New York in the early ’80s. At that
New York City in 2014 was inspired
forming something abstract on it. But
time, I worked primarily in pastels,
by salvaged materials, found and
when it dried and some of the tea
graphite, and charcoal.
recycled
experimented
leaves didn’t stay in place, we knew we
In the early 90s, I tried my hand
with painting on whatever I had
had to continue with our experiment.
at watercolour but always felt that
available in the house, including
I started to love the sepia stains of the
the medium was very unforgiving.
pistachio shells, eggshell shards,
used tea bags, and immediately knew
I probably have the least amount
and origami-folded crumb wrappers,
I would later use them in my designs.
of work in this medium. Ironically,
paper bags … you name it!
My sister was also inspired—she went
nature
of
architectural
studies.
this is mostly what I use now with the tea bag art.
objects. I
preposterous at first. We carefully
Then one day, I was having tea with
back home to Maui and incorporated
my sister, who is also an artist. We
used tea bags in some of her collages.
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