After Obon, the mornings and evenings began to cool, so I resumed the walks I had put on hold during the hottest part of summer. This time, the story is about a canting design inspired by morning glories I noticed along the way.
The chorus of cicadas that had been almost deafening not long ago has completely faded, replaced by the sounds of autumn insects. In a corner of the park, morning glories are still blooming as if reluctant to let summer go.
Morning Glories Bring Back Memories of My Father
There is something I always remember when I see morning glories. I think of my father, who started work earlier than anyone else. He was a rugged man devoted to his work, and the morning glory was one of the few flowers he knew. He often said to me, “Plant morning glories again this year.”
In today’s words, perhaps the fresh morning glories blooming on summer mornings gave him the energy to begin his day. Come to think of it, he also always used to say, “The early bird gets the worm!!” Remembering those things, I tried drawing this design.
From Morning Glories to a Canting Design
This is a design for a 45 cm square bandana. I created it for batik, drawing with melted wax released from the tip of a small, watering-can-like tool called a canting. The truth is, I am very bad at handling a canting. As I mentioned in “Roketsu-zome ② | Wax Resist (Rōbuse)”, working with wax is delicate and difficult.
This time, I want to draw the morning glories my father loved onto cloth with my own hands. Since I have the chance, I’m going to do my best with the canting!!