I just finished this picture last night! It took a long time to finish but it was a lot of fun. There’s also a mostly true story that goes with it. Take a look!
On Holiday In Saya’s Kitchen
Let’s go somewhere.
Ok, I say. Where do you want to go?
Somewhere interesting. Somewhere I haven’t been before.
She looks at me over the top of her coffee, watching as I think. There’s a half-eaten cookie on her plate, and a half-drawn line on the page. So mid-sip mid-line mid-cookie I say how about Saya’s apartment?
Saya’s apartment?
Saya’s apartment. Sure, why not?
We’re staying with her sister for the weekend. We’ve walked all day, passed countless temples, restaurants and museums. Between us we haven’t taken more than ten photos. We haven’t sketched a thing.
So let’s head back, I say. Let’s get some cake, head back and sketch your sister’s apartment. I’ll sit on one side, you can sit on the other and that way we can see everything. And when we’re done we’ll eat the cake.
The idea is growing on her. She smiles.
Ok. Let’s do it.
We walk across the road and go into the basement level of a department store. We buy three pieces of cake. We walk back to Saya’s apartment.
…
The lift opens. Our shoes squeak as we approach the door, echoing in the hallway. Somewhere else we can smell sesame oil and onions and beef. Mari unlocks the door with a heavy click.
…
We decide the best view in the room is Saya’s Kitchen.
I say I’m going to draw The Storage and Fridge and All That.
Uh-huh.
Her eyes are scanning the scenery, looking for something to land on. The air is still and dry. I hold my breath. Finally she settles on The Small Stove and Some Teacups. We sit on The Sofa; I have a sketchbook open and Mari has a fresh sheet of paper on her board.
My line of sight is clear. My hand moves swiftly across the page, mapping landmark after landmark. The Jars And Bottles lie roughly above Bags In Yellow Magazine Files, which themselves are only a short trip from the Old Shoe Boxes. It looks as though The Microwave will be easy enough to describe, but how will I convey the subtle geography of Random Cleaning Stuff Down There?
You ok there?
Uh-huh.
She hasn’t said a word since her voyage to The Yuzu Sauce Bottle. She gives it gentle shadows, playing with the light on the glass and the world within. A little to the right, the outline of The First Teacup is beginning to emerge.
I can’t wait to see what happens next, but I drag my eyes back to finish off The Fridge, and realise there’ll be room on the page for a brief field trip to The Sink. The Sink stands cold and blue, with an atmosphere all of its own. Shadows are cast by Pots and Pans, an inspired constellation.
Saya’s Kitchen is a quiet place. The only sounds are my pen scratching back and forth across the page, Mari’s stealthy lead at work, and the ticking clock.
She looks serious, like a child contemplating the importance of getting a box from Here to There. I finish my survey of The Storage and Fridge and All That, and softly move away.
I take up a perch on the other side of the apartment. I watch for a while, and fall asleep waiting for her to come home.
