An early Thursday Tease for everyone as I am off to Miami with NO Internet access while there. I always feel so out of touch when I can't get on the computer. We're somewhat "slaves" to the super highway, this Internet. Without it we feel so disconnected. I don't have that attachment to my cell phone like others. It's strange but wonderful to be connected to the world through this medium - and here I am writing to all of you from my blog - whoever is reading.
And, perhaps I am hungry for exquisitely delicious mochi at this late hour of my post. If you've never had this dessert, you're missing out on some gummy yummy stickyness. It's a Japanese rice cake desert made with glutinous rice (sweet rice) filled with lots of wonderful sweets (generally red bean paste, sometimes green tea flavored) which I can't have much of due to being diabetic! Ouch, life's not fair but I can sneak a small bite when I go to Little Tokyo. The Chinese have a similar version and we eat it during the New Year festivities. It's definitely an acquired taste. To read more about mochi, just visit Wikipedia!
I think I thought of mochi for this week's Thursday Tease because of this fascinating new friend I met recently, whom I hope to collaborate in some future projects with. I've been fortunate, of late, to come across some amazing artists. But "hush" is the word for now but you will know more later this year what I am cooking up. If he reads this, he'll know I'm talking about him.
And as luck would have it, I later found this wonderfully colorful photo of beautifully decorated mochi in my archives. It was a photo I found on Flickr sometime ago.
Can you see an inspired beaded bead amongst the mochi with Miyuki or Toho size 15/o seed beads? Perhaps a sculptural glass bead emulating this scrumptious dessert, using Opalino or Alabaster Italian Moretti glass? Or maybe a hand-felted woolly version of these with Cascade 220 yarn to tempt your fiber desires? Maybe another variety of mochi with punched out shapes from exquisite origami papers? Or even a polymer clay alternative with Sculpey, Premo, Fimo, Kato or your favorite clay. My imagination is running wild and rampant here.
Goodness gracious food can be inspiring to our art as well, no? The Japanese are experts in creating artfully decorated foods that are a feast to our eyes and to our tummies. Let's feed our "color" hunger and creativity with some MOCHI! Yum!
