Hanji Happenings

I've recently acquired some different thicknesses of Hanji (paper), cotton and banana, string.  These I'll use on different projects over the next few months as I experiment with some new designs and more contemporary Hanji pieces. I bought the large reels of Hanji string in Seoul during my visit last year and used it to add to this Hanji lamp I made during one of my classes at Jonginamoo and I love it but, I can see so many more possibilities. The cotton string on my shelf I've been using to tiepieces of wire together for forming a shape and before covering it with Hanji. This gorgeous banana string I found in a shop in Melbourne and just had to have it.  The fibres are extremely soft, I'm not sure what process it has gone through but, I'm sure it can be used on a new project !!

What inspires us to make certain Hanji pieces? For me it's often  a dormant idea in my mind and it comes out years later when certain factors all come together.                        I took this photo many years ago at Haeinsa Temple just outside Busan. I'm not Buddhist but  when we lived in Busan I use to love going up to this hugely impressive Buddhist temple  because of the serenity of the surrounding hillside and the beautiful gardens. I could sit there for hours and just take in the views, peace and tranquility of the space. The biggest downside for me was that I wasn't always that fit and the Buddhist temples are usually set high up in the mountainside and require a lot of uphill climbing before you get to see the temple and the wonderful views.  In this photo I was looking back down the long, winding path I'd just climbed and it was ...