The sun was shining and the beautiful weather was calling out to me to change the display on my sideboard in its honor. Perfect time to set up the lovely little cloth flowers and frogs I had bought on my recent trip to Japan. These wonderful decorations are made of chirimen silk and follow a long tradition. Women would use left over kimono pieces to sew little toys and decorations from the Chirimen silk. The toys and decorations would often depict flowers and animals in accordance with the four different seasons. For example autuum leaves in reds and oranges, pink and white cherry blossoms (sakura) for spring or snails and hydrangeas as symbols of the rainy season in June. I love the idea of honoring the seasons like the Japanese do and have sometimes followed the theme of the four seasons in my decorating scheme.
Setting up the display on the sideboard is always great fun for me, it is after all like a small personal home altar. Kay Turner writes in her book "Beautiful Necessity - The art and meaning of women's altars" that the tradition of home altars dates as far back as the fifth milenium and that home altars were almost always tended to by women. Often these altars were called hearth altars, since they were located in the kitchen next or above the hearth. I guess my altar is close to the kitchen: in the dinning room, which is the center of our house. I have always been intrigued by the notion of altars and always created a little spot in my living area where I would display something of meaning - which always changes. It fascinates me to think that People have done it for ever without giving it much thought, just doing it because this act of creativity feels good and affirms what is important for them. That's the kind of art I love - people being creative just for themselves.
