Cheri Blum - Wabi Sabi

It seems fitting that the first topic in the new "Inspirations" series is Wabi Sabi, an ancient Japanese concept that relates so well to Cheri's art and ideas. We hope you will enjoy learning about Wabi Sabi and that it will inspire you too!

Wabi sabi, quite simply put, is an appreciation for timeworn objects that are not perfect and may be used in a different way from what was originally intended.

Although she was unaware, Cheri was actually practicing Wabi Sabi prior to learning about it. She has many examples at her studio. A fragment of an old loom is used to display her paintbrushes. A broken lamp now serves as a candleholder. Even the sign outside the door is Wabi Sabi style: it was made from a racing sail.

"I'm drawn to things that are old, have character and a sense of history," Cheri says. "To me, the older an object gets, the better it looks. It doesn't wear out, it wears in."

Cheri's art also reflects the Wabi Sabi philosophy. "I love to paint on scraps, to find unusual painting surfaces and to create something from nothing…to take something that would otherwise look plain or be thrown away, and transfer it into something special."

Wabi sabi is a beauty of things imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete.
It is the beauty of things modest and humble.
It is the beauty of things unconventional.

If you would like to learn more about Wabi Sabi, you might enjoy Wabi Sabi for Artists, Designers, Poets and Philosophers by Leonard Koren , available at www.amazon.com and bookstores across the country, or use a search engine like www.google.com or www.yahoo.com to search the web.