TemariKai's Profile

Bio

I am a life-long needleworker and crafter. Discovering traditional Japanese temari was serendipty, melding my love of geometric pattern and color with the fiber and paper arts. I have always found peace in the aesthetics of Japanese art and custom, and it gives me great pleasure to share this through my work.

As a member of the Japan Temari Association/Toyko since 2005, I was one of the first persons outside of Japan to attain certification (similar to the traditional apprentice system of old Japan) through independent study, passing Level 1 and Level 2 exams in 2005, and the Shihan/Teacher (Level 3) exam in 2007. My membership & study continues.

My experiences have included numerous presentations, showings and lectures as well as teaching private and group classes. I have created commissioned pieces for many years, and have had temari photographs and articles published in books and magazines.

The website Temarikai.com began as a few personal webpages in 1998. It rapidly became and remains the largest known collection of information about the art of Japanese temari. As the owner of the website it's an honor to work with all of the many contributors that have brought it to its place today. The online temari community is also supported by TalkTemari on Yahoo Groups, which I began by request in 1998. Both Temarikai.com and TalkTemari have, since their beginnings, drawn a world-wide readership, with over 500 members currently sharing in the TalkTemari discussion group.

Favorite Materials

Threads, paper, beads, fibers, fabrics