April Higashi Jewelry

Inspiration

2018: Shibumi is 13!

InspirationApril HigashiComment
Inspiration from a winter trip to The Victorian Albert Museum in London

Inspiration from a winter trip to The Victorian Albert Museum in London

Please take 20% off any one item this month to thank you for your patronage.  (*wedding rings, custom and some one of a kind pieces are not valid)

May the light in 2018 be victorious over obstacles and bring you many good things.  Wishing you all a creative 2018 full of some good change!

Warmest regards,
April
+
the Shibumi team

As 2017 ended, I had a poignant conversation with a mother and daughter who are both clients. We were deep in conversation about the world and a life of making. The daughter was a client, but also an up-an-coming artist who just started selling her work. She made a comment as she walked out the door with her mother that has stuck with me. She told me, “You aren’t a brand, April. You are a person and that’s why we come here!”

As the new year begins, I think about the vision of Shibumi and where I want it to go. While Shibumi stands for subtle beauty, artistic expression, and quality work we are not afraid to express ourselves outside our identity, both in the work we make and the shows we put on. We feel that this expression will become our evolving identity and bring fresh things. 

I was reminded by this conversation to always be yourself, be authentic, and that making and showing new work provides a new path forward. We also value the personal, reflective interactions we have with all of you. 

Thank you for your support. We hope to make some exciting changes in this new year and look forward with sharing them with you. 

Here is a little bit about my team: (clockwise from top left)

April Higashi. Owner; gallerist, designer, maker, boss lady, Shibumi: 2005.Ben Faryna. Lead Goldsmith; maker, mindreader, deep thinker, aesthetic perfecter, 2011.Kate Eickelberg. Gallery Assistant; costing + custom go-to, maker, …

April Higashi. Owner; gallerist, designer, maker, boss lady, Shibumi: 2005.

Ben Faryna. Lead Goldsmith; maker, mindreader, deep thinker, aesthetic perfecter, 2011.

Kate Eickelberg. Gallery Assistant; costing + custom go-to, maker, observer, grammar enthusiast, 2012.

Aya Osada. Bookkeeper; life straightener, maker of patterns, parrot owner, 2015.

Nina Bocobo. Assistant Goldsmith; deep learner, on-call staff model, snack coordinator, maker, organic object collector, 2017.

Claudia Alleyne. Gallery Manager; right hand gal, assists in everything, custom design, maker, lover of African anything, 2016.

Karen Lee.  Identity Builder; fact checker, editor, designer, gardener extraordinaire, 2004. 

Trevi Pendro. Gallery Assistant; fellow happa, newest addition in the gallery, social media coordinator, staff photographer, maker, tattoo addict, 2017.

Footnotes from Havana

InspirationApril HigashiComment

I travel for inspiration, perspective and to find a new understanding that will help make my world bigger.  After the devastating US election, a busy holiday season and trying to be a decent parent, I was depleted by the end of December. I have always found a break is the best way to reset my life, discover greater empathy and restore my creativity.  

While a truly great journey will leave you feeling three years younger, and two years wiser, a difficult border crossing will reveal your true character. Difficult travel is a reflection of our true selves, whether you’re curious, in survival mode, a bigot or open minded. --- Studio D / Field Notes

Our trip to Havana expanded my world to include an understanding of a simple Cuban beauty and remind me of the circumstances into which we are born. The pinhole of Cuban culture I witnessed in only a week was a mixture of socialism, history, music, dance, modernist architecture, art, tobacco, island time and of course, Cuban flair.  While I have traveled internationally a fair amount, it had been awhile since I had actual culture shock upon arrival in a country.  Between the internet and international trade, one can often find the comforts of home. This is not yet the case in Cuba.  There are no traces of the US post 1959.  The old classic cars are the only reminders of the U.S.  since Fidel Castro overthrew Batista and set in place the socialist government. Socialism provides people housing, heath care, education and subsidized food, yet many people still live in poverty.  

While the government is starting to restore the historical center of the Habana Vieja to attract tourism, walk just a few streets away from the historic squares and you see how run down it is. The Cuban people don't own their buildings, only the apartments within them. Some families choose to paint the outsides but many don’t. That means you may see the bottom half of a building painted and the top crumbling because they are owned by two families. While walking on the Paseo de Prado, a promenade for pedestrians to stroll, our guide Juan explained that only recently are the people allowed to buy and sell property.  In the past, if someone wanted to move homes, they would congregate on the Prado to share details of their property in order to trade dwellings amongst themselves. Juan also showed us his food card with which Cubans purchase food at special markets and bodegas. Card holders can pick up the basic food needs: 5 eggs, meat, beans, rice, milk, etc.  Rations are reviewed monthly and the rationed allotment is free. If you need more than the allotment, you can purchase it at a subsidized price. 

Walking and driving through Habana Vieja you see snippets of the Cuban life. Their doors are open and their lives often spill out onto the streets. On my walkabouts, I saw people dancing together or practicing solo in small rooms with techno and traditional Afro-Cuban music blaring - often with the TV still on. In a small living room children played with dolls. A man sat in his doorway, selling four little bags of macaroni pasta and a small pile of eggs. Some people sat quietly on their front step, others were talking with friends or neighbors. Teen girls whispered about boys. I spied a tiny tree adorned with tinsel in a front room and a family enjoying a meal in back. There were doorways and tall staircases with dangling electrical wiring that looked alarmingly unsafe. 

There were small logos on doors for new businesses popping up. It wasn’t until the end of Fidel’s rule that Cuba allowed entrepreneurial self-employment. There are now small gyms, dancing schools, home art galleries and record stores, to name a few.

There is no internet (unless you find a wi-fi spot -which you’ll know instantly by the many young folks milling about with their phones - or if if you go to a tourist hotel) instead, people interact and socialize.

Iliana our hotel host said it herself, "Cubans are loud people. Even if they’re right here,” - pointing a foot away - "we speak loudly." They talk at great length, even simple things, like directions. Drivers do not pull out maps or phones when they need directions; they simply yell over to the next car or pull to the side to ask someone standing on the street. The conversations can go on for quite some time. It reminded me of how isolated and independent we have become with information at our fingertips. I thought about how much are we missing when we turn to our computers or phones and overlook the people right next to us.

Something important has definitely been lost in our culture.

It was an expansive trip for me. I learned so much about the Cuban Revolution, about America’s embargo on Cuba and the mix of emotions and tension it has created. I saw a country filled with hope that things are getting better although things are still hard, as its people are faced with the reality that they can not easily leave. 

Being an entrepreneur, I couldn’t help but notice how businesses run in Cuba.

There was a dark grey Art Nouveau building near the Prado that held a perfumery. I had big expectations - the thought of Cuban perfume seemed so exotic. However, upon entering this beautiful building the perfumes were not original scents but many of the bigger European brands seen anywhere else in the world. They were stacked in their boxes and locked up in two cages. Very unapproachable. Two nicely dressed sales people stood at the back behind an empty counter that would have easily been set up for sampling and spontaneous tourist purchases.

I wasn’t sure I was aligned with the aesthetics in Cuba before I left for my trip.  However after a week of walking through the city, which I can only describes as a shade brighter than powder pink, mint green and sky blue, the palette made complete sense; it seemed perfect and beautiful. Women dressed in bright colors, neon even, skirts that fit so tight with such body contouring, and I was impressed that they were so comfortable in their bodies. I saw a lot of men in black and white patterns with brightly colored accents. Red shoes were very popular, as were distressed jeans on both sexes.  The accessories on one woman, a hot pink belt and matching pumps, made me recoil at first. But when I saw her dancing the Rumba with her partner at the Casa de la Musica, and the way she moved her hips to the beat, I suddenly thought her choice of attire looked lovely and tasteful and I wanted to be her. She later returned to her group of friends at a table with a big ice bucket and a large bottle of rum where she poured herself a healthy serving and topped it off with the Cuban equivalent to Coca-cola.

The art of every culture is always a big draw for me. One day I had a big dose of Cuban art.  Going from Miramar to Playa, areas with points of interest far apart from one another, you can hire a cab for $25 an hour and they will wait as you enjoy each stop. We were taken to an alley with many murals, El Callejón de Hamel by Cuban muralist Salvador González. Beside his murals there is outsider art and bathtubs made into benches, rough plasma-cut metal and found object sculptures. I’m told the alley is home to spontaneous dancing (Rumba) on Sundays.

El Callejón de Hamel by Cuban muralist Salvador González

I’d wished we’d put in more effort to visit architectural points of interest. We had hoped to see the architecture of the ISA (the art school). However we couldn’t get in without an appointment.  But the brick domes and organic arches looked very interesting as we peered over the fence. Driving on El Malecón we passed Parque José Martí Stadium, an abandoned stadium built in the 1940’s. Architecturally interesting with it’s faded colored benches and shell-like arches, I have had dreams about it since I have been back and have looked up further images and information to ponder. I understand restoration has been proceeding slowly since our visit.

There are two artists in particular I took note of.  The first is Kcho, an internationally recognized artist who became well known in his 20’s and has shared his success with the community by opening up his studio and compound to all. His complex is in walking distance of ISA. You are supposed to make an appointment in advance, but we got lucky stopping by and joined another tour already underway. Inside the complex is a gallery where he shows guest artists and a working warehouse/studio for himself, which is the most interesting.   He also shares the space with his 18 year old son, who is also in the arts. Outside are more works in progress, outdoor sculptures and public artworks. The piece that pretty much describes what some of the more outright Cuban people think of America is a tall tower of luggage draped with an American flag, titled "I don’t want anything from you.”  There is also a small theater and computer lab. Through a sponsorship with Google it is the one place in Havana with free internet. 

The second artist of note is Casa Estudio Jose Fuster (Jamanita).  This tile artist has made a museum that is definitely worth seeing. Not only has he created an endless tile mosaic world of sculptures and murals that has totally transformed his property, he also extends his work into the neighborhood, neighbors’ houses, alley walls, the bus stop, essentially any available surface.

For me, travel is not about seeing things that align perfectly with who I believe I am. I think I travel because it shows me where I am limited. I have to say the pollution from leaded gas was hard to breath in and the food was a little underwhelming.  But even with this I had some notable adventures.

Imagine the thought of planning a peaceful trip to the countryside of Viñales to escape the pollution and crowds only to find your driver waiting for you with a Lada - a Russian car from the days when Russian support was integral to Cuba’s economy (1959-1991).  Ladas have notoriously poor exhaust systems (which fill the backseats with fumes), no seat belts, and our driver had to pull over several times for roadside repairs and adjustments.

Lunches sometimes felt a bit like torture as we had to wait up to 2 1/2 hours for the food to arrive. What do you talk about with no iPhone to distract you? How do you keep up conversation? You don’t. You let the pauses and many moments of stillness be there. You wait patiently and enjoy the moist air while you relax. And when your food finally arrives and your expectations let you down, you eat every bit and appreciate the way you feel nourished, and have restored some energy for the next adventure. 

I’m happy to share my favorite finds or an itinerary that I think would be helpful for anyone thinking of visiting Cuba. But I suggest instead, simply be present and watch. Cuba is a beautiful culture so different than ours. Once I slowed down, and stopped looking for big AHA moments, I began to appreciate much more.and I feel lucky to have visited. I had never experienced as socialist government. If I were to go back I would have a better camera, take a dance class, do a little more research on the architecture and food, and hopefully know some more Spanish. 

I don’t know how quickly travel in Cuba will change but you’re welcome to email me if you would like my highlights of my week in Havana. I have a detailed list. I should mention, I did not travel alone, I travelled with a male companion and we both found the people either friendly or indifferent and I felt safe in all areas we ventured. 

I am never sure how I will process these images and cultures into my work but I know one thing for certain; travel changes me and refreshes my world.

June by April

InspirationApril HigashiComment

I was 30 when I met June Schwarcz at her 80th retrospective at the American Craft Museum. When I approached her to ask work as her assistant, we complimented each other on our skirts, both Commes des Garçons, and were soon so lost in conversation that I forgot to mention I'd love to work for her. The line behind me getting long, I gave her my card and told her I admired her work and that I also worked in enamel. June had the same idea I did, and a month later invited me to join her in the studio. Mondays were filled with three hours of work and four hours of lunch, sharing stories about art, the people who made and sold it and ordinary things like family and relationships.

Working for June, I learned how she saw and created in three dimensions. One of the first task she gave me was to lay out a flat pattern and cut it out of thin copper, like cutting fabric for clothing.  June's process was much like sewing.  Inspiration came from anything she felt was beautiful: when her grandson Adam went through a phase of wearing oversized, droopy pants, she did a series of vessels about his pants.  She often said she didn’t like conceptual art because if it wasn’t beautiful, she couldn’t relate to it. 

Though she was 50 years older, she always wanted to pull her own weight.  I had to trick her into letting me help her with things.  When leaving her studio together, June carrying her heavy basket of supplies up the stairs, I'd offer, "June, let me get that." She'd refuse and ask me to get the lights. I knew in the future not to ask before grabbing the basket.

Over the last seventeen years, I visited her regularly, we went to art shows and dinners. I dressed for June, because we were both interested in fashion and we had similar taste.   She always wore something interesting unless she was in the studio.  I like a gal who has a sense of style but also gets down to business. For an opening at Susan Cummins Gallery, she arrived in black Issey Miyake, and someone had handed her a bright pink peony.  I complimented her shoes, so cool and perfect with the outfit! I asked her where she got them. "Oh honey, it's the best little shoe store called Gimme Shoes, I've got to take you there!" I loved that she thought I wouldn't know about it--the hippest shoe store in San Francisco--and I imagined her there picking out her shoes. 

I was lucky enough to trade work with her.  One piece of mine she wanted was an all-red enameled Panel Bracelet that was in a show at the Richmond Art Center. June called me and said, "I know the show is not coming down for a week but I am going to New York and I have the perfect outfit to wear that with. Would you ask them if you could get it early?" I got her the bracelet for her trip.

There was so much more to June than fashion. She was young at heart and I never felt our age difference until I started to see her hand shaking as she picked up her tea.  She was the most inspiring and curious woman I've ever met. She had great taste and gave her opinions freely. Beauty, honesty and curiosity were were our connection.  If you were fortunate enough to have met her even once, your perspective on life as a woman artist was changed forever.

June 10, 1918– August 2, 2015