Sleightholm Folk Art

I’m sitting down this morning with my cup of coffee and a stack of books beside me. Outside, the birds are chattering and although it’s a chilly, start, spring is definitely in the air and the world is full of blossoms.

Outside my kitchen window, I have a blooming crabapple tree. Every year I am just amazed at how lush and beautiful it gets, with its pretty pink blossoms! And as the world outside my window wakes up, I have been delving into some wonderful books that help me savor the season- including “The Japanese Art of Living Seasonally” by Natalie Leon and “Wabi Sabi” by Beth Kempton.

In her book, Leon writes, “Humanity has an instinctive biological need to be near nature. We’re drawn to it, just as the flowers lean towards the sun. The further away we are from it, the more we suffer. We can’t help but seek it out. Nature calls to something profoundly deep inside us, our wild selves, buried deep beneath our suits and ties, our busy city lives and all our technological distractions.”

Especially in a world that seems so chaotic and undependable, I’ve been taking solace in the natural world and artistic projects. My son is currently studying Japan and the country’s artistic traditions and rich history has inspired me lately as well…

As luck would have it, we’ve had the opportunity to visit several Japanese themed art exhibits in the area, and they have inspired me to delve into some of my favorite Japanese crafts (like sashiko and boro stitching) and to attempt some Japanese inspired painting!

Philbrook Museum in Tulsa currently has a fantastic exhibit on featuring Samurai armor (my son has loved it!) as well as Japanese art prints and western art that was inspired by Japanese aesthetic. I was even able to attend a Japanese Calligraphy craft day and try on a kimono, thanks to the Japan America Society of Oklahoma. This month I’m planning on attending a Chado– “Way of the Tea” traditional Japanese tea ceremony and totally invested in celebrating the Japanese holiday of “Children’s Day” in May!

And of course, the art of Japan has been wonderful to explore… I loved this print below, as she’s sewing! And the colors are fabulous too….

We also happened upon a fantastic Japanese-themed exhibit at Myriad Gardens in OKC called “The Way of Flowers: Orchid Ichibana” that featured beautiful orchids and even a zen garden.

All of this Japanese culture has been a delight to explore, and lends itself beautifully to gardening, crafting, living and just being. I’ve really found a lot of inspiration in Beth Kempton’s book “Wabi Sabi: Japanese Wisdom for a Perfectly Imperfect Life” and the idea of saving moments of Wabi Sabi— ephemeral moments of beauty that are fleeting and might be missed if you don’t look for them with intention.

Kempton writes, “At its essence, the experience of wabi sabi is an intuitive response to beauty that reflects the true nature of things as they are.” And I love that so much.

I’ve spent the last couple of weeks really trying to pause from the constant busyness of every day life and notice things that are meaninful, beautiful and dare I say- miraculous!

Kempton wrote that, ” nature is the home of miracles” and as I’ve taken the time to watch and listen to the natural world around me, I wholeheartedly agree.

I hope that where ever the seasons find you right now, you can find something beautiful to notice. In the book “The Japanese Art of Living Seasonally,” Leon shares that the Japanese observe not only the traditional 4 seasons, but 72 micro seasons! About every 5 days, a new micro season presents itself to be cherished; they include seasons like “the east wind melts the ice”, “first peach blossoms”, “frogs start singing”, “thunder ceases” and “deer lose their antlers.”

In my son’s school studies, one of our projects is inspired by this concept, as we go on a weekly walk and decide what we’ll call this week’s season. In a year, we should have 72 little seasons we have noticed and named! This is a project you can also enjoy compiling for wherever you live.

And if you’re like me, and love nothing more than collecting a big pile of books on any given subject, these are books I am enjoying currently as I savor an Okie-Japanese spring! A few I own and a few I got from my local library.

Of course, the Japanese Tasha Tudor books are part of my personal collection and some of my favorite books! I’ve found them online over the years. I am also very drawn to Japanese textile and stitching arts, and have been working on a little sashiko in spare moments. I’ve even patched up some garments with decorative boro stitching, which makes a flaw become an interesting bit of art!

I hope that this week you find something beautiful to notice, and that moments of wabi sabi find you and make you smile.

Take Joy!
H