Michiko Sugiura

“Destination of wind”. Formed with tōso over wooden core and covered with paper.

  • Dolls
  • Presented in 2020
  • H 33.0 cm
  • Contact for Price

People in the old days used to lick their finger tip and put their finger in the air to check the direction of the wind. I tried to express the sight of a woman doing this in this piece.

Category Dolls
Year Presented 2020
Dimensions H 33.0 cm
Exhibition The 67th Japan Traditional Kōgei Exhibition

Michiko Sugiura

photo Michiko Sugiura

The method that I use is called mokushin toso washibari, which is forming the piece over a wooden core with toso (mixture of sawdust of paulownia wood and wheat starch) , applying gofun (whitewash), covering with Japanese traditional paper and coloring. Basically, I make dolls, but I exaggerate or simplify the form so that the people who see my work can relate to it more. I also try to make the dolls to match the modern living space. In modern life, we are unable to understand people's feelings, or their state of mind right away just from how they look. I try to simplify the appearance as much as I can so that they can be easily understood. There are various kinds of Japanese traditional paper, but I sometimes dye my own paper or arrange the paper to change the texture. I also use other various material such as fabric, metallic foil, whitewash, mineral pigments, etc. on making my art work.