One Moment, One Drawing. Twelve ink drawings to chase the seasons.

A mini art edition to share the beauty of Japanese ink painting, and create new moments of your own

If you have landed on this page it is likely that we have at least one of two things in common – the love of art or Japanese culture. I paint daily for a number of reasons, yet the biggest pleasure when I create lies in feeling as though I am back in the beautiful, inspiring spaces I come across in Japan. The quiet, contemplative nature of its zen gardens, temples, the subtle changes of its seasons. Japanese ink painting opens up a new mental space, creating a moment of connection, clarity and happiness. The mini art edition “One Moment, One Drawing” was created out of the desire to share that feeling with others. Every detail of the edition described below was carefully considered to remain true to that aspiration.

Look inside a first edition copy of “One Moment, One Drawing”

Where did it all start? The first step on the journey to my mini art edition “One Moment, One Drawing” really started when I picked up a sumi-e (Japanese ink painting or 墨絵) brush for the first time. The opportunity to take a moment within the day to slow down, disconnect, and appreciate the uniqueness of the season and environment surrounding me. After a year of daily drawing, a few friends started enquiring about the possibility to share in the beauty and inspiration of some of my drawings, beyond messages and virtual posts. Through collaboration with a number of talented people it was possible to bring the first edition to life in December 2018.

“One Moment, One Drawing”, A6 hardcover hand-bound format

Twelve ink drawings

What is inside the mini book ? The edition is as close as possible to the experience of browsing through one of my original sketchbooks, which are fairly small and portable in size. “One Moment, One Drawing” is a A6 hardcover book, minimalist in its design. Each copy is hand-bound using a traditional Japanese technique. Inside the edition you can find a brief opening essay with some of the principles of Japanese ink painting guiding my daily practice, followed by twelve reproductions of my ink drawings. The twelve images were digitally printed on a paper especially selected to perfectly match the colour nuances of the original drawings as well as for its great haptic qualities.

My Pentel black brush pen was used in every drawing selected for the edition. Brush pens allow me to practice sumi-e technique “on-the-go” everyday. All first edition copies were exclusively numbered and signed with the original drawing pen as a personal thank you for contributing to the original project execution.

Chasing the seasons

What do the drawings represent? The image selection follows twelve of the twenty-four ancient Japanese seasons of the year, or sekki (節気), mostly based on moments and places experienced within the course of a year in Switzerland. A few of them you might have seen as part of my regular “zen Monday” series on this website, the monthly Moment Sketchers challenges or on my instagram. The verse of each drawing reproduction is footnoted with the drawing’s poetic title. This title is a variation of the original Japanese season in four languages (English, Japanese, German and Portuguese).

Examples of some of the drawings included in the images selected and the inspiring imagery

Creating new moments, new meetings

How can the edition be enjoyed? Each drawing is reproduced as a fully detachable postcard. You can enjoy the edition as a whole, or transform it into twelve different moments of inspiration throughout the year – to be placed at your wish on your desk, inspiration board, or quite simply shared as a gift with your own friends and colleagues. There is enough empty space on the verse to write your own thoughts and reflections. It is my way of hopefully inspiring you to create more moments of connection with those that matter to you most.

One of the drawing reproductions detached as a stand-alone postcard. Whether the drawings feature as seasonal inspiration on your desk or are shared with a friend, individually or as a full series, the choice is entirely yours.

A bridge between Switzerland, Portugal and Japan

This edition reflects my personal journey of involvement with Japanese art and painting practice so far between Switzerland, Portugal and Japan. I am forever grateful to the following organisations and persons for having turned this dream into a real object of beauty, through their utmost care and dedication: the Digitalisierungszentrum der Zentral Bibliothek Zürich (Switzerland), Namban (Portugal), and Keiko Fierz-Takase, who was responsible for all the Japanese translations in the edition.

Stamping the first edition copies delivered by Namban in December 2018

The first edition sold out within a couple of weeks, as the perfect gift of inspiration for oneself or the friend that shares your love of art and Japanese culture. The second edition of “One Moment, One Drawing” is now shipping. Order directly below.

Buy “One Moment, One Drawing”