fushimiurushikobo et al

As I delve more deeply into urushi lacquering techniques (sans the urushi itself due to allergies) I have found a couple of fascinating youtube channels to browse.   But, be warned!  I find that once I start watching a series of these, time simply disappears.  Literally, I can sit and watch these for two or three hours at a stretch.  Two weeks ago we were visiting friends in Knoxville, and my pal Dave raised an eyebrow when I told him about these.

He puled it up on his television and an hour later the ladies had to come and break up the party so we could have supper.

The best of these channels is named fushimiurushikobo after its creator and host Maki Fushimi, a classically trained urushi artist who is still very active in the creative community.  Since lacquerwork is pretty spatially contained, I think he is simply setting up his laptop so that the camera is in the right place and starts recording.  The videos provide nearly no instruction beyond the occasional brief on-screen text, with no narrative or sounds other than the ambient sound of him working. Occasionally you will hear something in the background, but it is definitely low aural sensation.

Mr. Fushimi documents a number of projects, including lacquer harvesting and processing through the creation of his many urushi artworks.

I find them to be not only delightful but densely packed with visual information to guide and direct my own efforts in this arena.

A second youtube channel is the one dedicated to the lacquer artist HISAYA TSUKIJI.  It seems to be similar to Mr. Fushiim’s but I have not worked my way through it very much.  But what I have seen I like very much, as he is approaching the art form from a different direction.

If you find any other urushi video resource you find especially useful, let me know.