Meet Kaori, a hidden gem
Kaori, a hidden gem
She is pure magic. A friend that came God-sent in the most unexpected times to first tend our cat and love him, then to stay in my heart and listen to my latin style with her japanese serenity. She is a woman that inspires with her presence, bold warrior with a peaceful smile. Her art is gem. All about her is inspirational. Meet her here, Kaori Tatebayashi.
Tell us 3 things about you
I am a Japanese artist. I love living in south London, what I do for living, cooking, gardening, nature and cats.I am a cancer survivor.
How did you fall in love for your art
I am from a small village called Arita in Japan known for its fine porcelain. I always enjoyed drawing and creating things by hand and being close contact with nature since young age.My great grand father was a well respected painter in the village and often was called in to paint on special pieces of pottery when they had orders from the royal family or such. ( He traded porcelain himself as a business ) My childhood in Arita formed the base of who I am now and influence my art work still this date.
How about your love for cats
Story with them My beloved cat Ink came from my friend's parents' milk farm in Wales.We had a special bond, he acted as my guard like a dog, in a room for example, he always positioned himself between the door and myself meaning if an intruder came in, he could encounter it before myself, this is very rare I think as a cat. He must be thinking I needed to be protected. I lost him for brain tumour nearly four years ago which was the saddest event in my life. He is irreplacable, so I haven't had another cat since but I love all cats.
A movie to watch
Almost a Love Story ( Hong Kong ) I watched this film at the Riverside Studio in Hammersmith in '96.
What feels like 'joy' to you
When I feel I have captured the essence of something in clay.When my work makes someone smile.When my garden rewards me for my endless labor of love.When a cat trusts me and sleeps on my lap.
Best advice you had ever been given
Love yourself so that you can love others.
Share with us one of your delicious recipes.
Non fail-able Vegetable Tempura
Seasonal vegetable chilled in the fridge ( very important )
Cut them into 1 cm slices and bite size. You can add nettle tips in Spring, mushrooms in autumn and pumpkin and sweet potatoes in winter. Onion rings are kid's favourite, you can also thinly slice the onion and mix with frozen ( important ) sweet corns and coat with the batter, drop by tablespoon into the oil.
Batter ( Creme fraiche consistency )
Chickpea flour
Pinch of Salt Baking powder ( or use sparkling water instead of water )
Ice cold water
Heat the oil until really hot, you can drop the batter and check if it fries immediately. If the batter sink first, the oil isn't hot enough yet.
Coat the vegetables in the batter and deep fry them few at a time, do not put too many in one go. Turn over once once or twice.
Eat while hot with sprinkle of Maldon sea salt.
