TOKYO >> It’s amazing what can be created with thread beyond the bounds of fabric. Consider, for instance, string art.
String artists hook colorful threads onto nails attached to wooden frames to create a variety of beautiful geometric patterns. The aesthetic of any room can be boosted with a display of string art on a wall, table, or incorporated into a piece of furniture.
Kumiko Misaki, a Hyogo-born artist who studied ceramics at the Osaka University of Arts, became fascinated with string art about eight years ago when she was invited to attended a class with a friend.
“The great beauty of string art lies in the colors created by the overlapping threads,” she said.
Misaki continues to hone her skills in designing patterns for her pieces. She also crafts her own wooden frames, making her works all the more elegant.
Strings form straight lines when they are tightly stretched, Misaki said, but they can also appear curved by slightly shifting the height of the nails.
“There are not many straight lines in nature, and only humans can create them,” she said. “It is really fun to (create) curves while using straight lines.”
Misaki also enjoys exploring nuances of color as she selects her threads. “The color of the ocean is completely different from the color of the sky, even though they are both blue,” she said.
By combining delicate-hued threads, she designs exquisite Japanese scenes, and she has exhibited her works in cities around the globe, including New York and Tokyo.
A large piece can take as long as three months to complete, she said.
Recently, the artist has been expanding the scope of her work by crafting textured pieces, using the threads of hemp, silk and polyester, each of which has a distinct texture and thickness. Her favorite material is temari thread, used to make temari balls, because it shimmers in the light. She sometimes uses thread she has dyed herself with indigo.
Now she is working to popularize the string art form by teaching workshops for beginners, where students learn the basics of creating patterns.
“They’re fun to make and display,” Misaki said. “I hope people can find a new way of expressing themselves.”
Source: Star
