I Wish I'd Done This

 "You know the moment when you fall in love with a piece of work, that dizzy mixture of wonder, respect and, "damn them!", creative envy." Varoom magazine.

Title: "merry merry merry"

Size: 220 × 210mm

By Yoko Hasawama, a Japanese collage-Illustrator. I first found her work in a book from my class which led me to research her, she wasn’t that easy to find as her links are all in Japanese so I didn’t know what to search, I later came her blog titled ‘mon parfume et le petit bijou’, which is French for ‘my perfume and gem’ which I think is so sweet and fitting for Hasawama’s style.

 

I really wish I could call this charming image my own, although I wish I could put my name to everything that Hasawama has produced I would settle for getting my hands on her collection of lace, sequins, beads and all things that sparkle!

Through researching this image, I have come across a few variations, not sure yet which is the original but (Image 1) is from her blog, dating back to May 2008 and the other (Image 2) from her website.

 

Image 1

Image 2

…….but the image I have chosen as my ultimate wish has to be the pink version, it was commissioned for the January issue of the ‘ふれ愛magazine’ (‘Love Touch Magazine’).

To create this image Hasawama used: antique lace, beads, accessories, Victorian silk fabric, kimono fabric, tickets, sequins, French perfume labels and to make the three-dimensional look, the horses and swan are applied to styrene board, and the background is done with acrylic pink glitter and pearl.

The fascinating quality makes it my favourite piece from Hasawama’s collection. Delicate lace and nimble placement create a magical carousel scene to envy. Hasawama uses bold shapes with lace to represent the innocence of a carousel ride. A strong textile collection is evident here as the carefully selected lace along with the fabric come to life. The three dimensional view creates movement within the carousel and leads me to imagine carousel music. 

This piece has a great hand-made quality that brings me warmth and appreciation. I admire the well thought out structure, the shape being off-center and at an angle in the layout gives a dizzy and magical feel, which relates back to childhood and to the relationship of trust and willing you have with such magical games. 

The pink, although wouldn't be my first choice, works! and looking at the other variations I am not sure it could work as well in any other colour. The gold is the only colour I could think that could come close but it gives a feeling of wealth, which is associated with adult life so takes away from the innocence, so I feel the pink, in all its shades with a hint of gold detailing fits it well.

From the shooting stars that frame the image to the smallest detail in the bottom right corner, a lot of attention and detail can be taken for granted in this piece but the more I study the image the more I discover and I loose myself in the detail. This image has taught me to be patient in my work, to collage carefully with precision, never to make do but to seek out the missing piece.

It has inspired me to put more effort into collecting and archiving my textures and found elements, so I will always be prepared. I wish to collect more lace and introduce it more to my work, as shown in Hasawama’s piece the lace gives such a delicate effect and further depth.