THE COLLECTION
I found my first kokeshi in a vintage shop many years ago and was instantly captivated by the simplicity of their form and beautiful craftsmanship. Each one seems to have a personality of its own, though I am drawn to those that have peaceful or cheerful facial expressions. I also tend to gravitate to ones that display the natural beauty of the wood grain. Over the past decade, these kokeshi have been carefully selected to add to the collection. Most of the ones I own were made in the 1960s-1980s. I feel that handmade and vintage items bring warmth to a home and tell a story.
Kokeshi make such a fun and playful subject matter. For the photos below, I tried to tie in some correlation between the kokeshi and either the plant or the container used. Sometimes, the plant is the same type as the one on the kokeshi itself or is in a similar color family. Other times, the shape of the vase resembles the shape of the kokeshi. Only white vessels and a neutral background were used to create a sense of continuity between the photos and to make the subjects stand out. I also selected flowers and plants that were in season at the time that I photographed them. It is always a joy for me to play with nature.
This project is ongoing, so I will add photos here as I acquire new kokeshi and photograph them.
