So who is this guy, anyway?

It actually came up in yesterday's phone conversation: the fact that I keep deliberately mentioning James in my LJ, partly because he doesn't have an account here and therefore doesn't read the friends-only stuff, mostly because it amuses me to give him a hard time. "Do the people who read your journal know who I am?"

Short version: He's an old friend from back east.

( Longer version. )

James, everybody.

Everybody, James.

Hiogi 2.0

This is the hiogi I started more than a year ago. It's been sitting idle because I could not decide how I wanted to decorate it.
The new detail sander was just the ticket - edges have been smoothed and evened out pretty nicely.

I re-laced the pivot joint with the steel beading wire and right now the sanded, laced fan is very carefully laid out downstairs. (I'll have to re-lace the top, but I'll do that after it's painted.

The trouble is, I STILL cannot decide what I want to paint on it. Version 1.0 had a pine tree on one side and the back never got finished. I wasn't wild about it.

The good news is that I've now seen a few examples of period hiogi that don't have painted backgrounds and much more naturalistic renderings of plants and trees on them.
http://www.miho.or.jp/booth/html/artcon/00001861e.htm

http://flickr.com/photos/8014448@N07/3014233061/in/set-72157608781706279/

EDIT. (OK, PICK SOMETHING ALREADY! This fan has had BIRTHDAYS!)  White plum blossoms have been dabbed on one side. I'll do red plum blossoms on the other.