Naoshi the Sunae Artist

My parents used to have this little bottle filled with layers of coloured sand. I think they got it on holiday somewhere. I always thought it was quite exotic and I thought that was pretty much as artistic as sand could get. Until I discovered Yokohama-based graphic artist, Naoshi, who works in the Japanese medium of sunae, or sand painting. Her work is quirky and sweet. Some of the pieces even have a little story, like this one:

I'm pretty sure not many of us have tried sunae before, so luckily Naoshi provides a step-by-step guide on how to make your own sunae artwork. The full details and tips are on her website.

Naoshi's original art can be seen at exhibitions all over the world. Currently her work is showing as part of the Sugarcraft exhibition at the Kasia Kay Art Projects Gallery in Chicago. Or you could head over to her etsy shop and pick up a print like these:

Comments

[Ann Marie]

1.

interesting idea. i'm pretty sure we had kid's art kits when i was little that used colored sand. it might be fun to mix in sand with collage pieces. i'm always looking for something a little different. thanks for introducing me to Naoshi's work.