QSI Yearbook 2009

2008-2009 ©Ingrid Booz Morejohn

I don't like including too many images of  my children on this blog but since most of my followers are close friends and relatives I'm making a small exception.  Images of the two monkeys in this montage were put together for their school yearbook 2009. If you click on the image, it will come up full-screen size so you will be able to enjoy it better. Please forgive my maternal self-indulgence.

The Snail's Lament

Spinal chord? [sic] 090212 ©Burton Booz

I thought that I bought
a bucket of snot
but that, it was not.

T'was a snail
in a pail
hammered with a nail.

He was covered in rot
and now he is not...

He is dead, covered in red
blood.

But perky snail that he is
Quite a genius, what a whiz!
He said:
I feel an exhilarating fizz...
up my spinal cord
if I had one...
Now I'm bored!

...and off to snail heaven he went.

(Joint colloboration between Emy, Burton and I., created while eating bruscetta for dinner )

Birthdays and plane tickets

My son Burton turned 12 today, congratulations! 

Burton: You have delighted us for eleven wonderful years (me an extra nine months) and having you in my life is the best thing that ever happened to me.... but it's full-fare plane tickets from now on.....when can you start working? ;-) xxoo mamma

Woodblock printmaking with artist Ralph Kiggell

All photos ©Ingrid Booz Morejohn
A couple of weeks ago we had the wonderful opportunity to witness how traditional Japanese woodblock printing was done by one of the best, artist Ralph Kiggell. Ralph is an old friend from Hong Kong days where we used to work together in publishing. For several years now he has concentrated on perfecting his technique as a printer and artist. He has studied with numerous Japanese printmasters and today creates the most wonderful images: industrial landscapes of advertising hoardings, power lines, water towers and cityscapes; but also ferns, bracken, lotus flowers and pagodas. I love his pairings of pagodas, water towers and chimney stacks. The colors are absolutely wonderful and the shapes swirling, bold and fluid. The subjects are mostly set in Asia and coincide very much with subjects that I am fascinated with in photography - industrial landscapes, iconic cultural images and details. He also does book illustrations - the most superb being "Leading the Cranes Home", illustrations of orientalist Arthur Waley's translations of Chinese poems. (The Old Stile Press. ISBN 0907664). 

We visited him in his studio in Bangkok and he showed Emy (9 yrs) and Burton (11 yrs)  how to make a print. He then let Burton have a go himself. Burton quickly drew a gecko on a piece of rubber tree wood and then cut out (with Ralph's help) the image, inked it and then printed it by rubbing a "baren" over the paper that had been placed on the block. It was all finished by simply peeling off the finished print from the wood. The experience for all of us was wonderfully rewarding.

More geckos

Drawing ©Ingrid Booz Morejohn/Burton Booz

Here is the original drawing of the tokay gecko before manipulation (see below "Geckos galore"). Burton (11 years old) did the pencil drawing, I colored.