I love ribbons in all colors and fabrics, so I was blown away when I came across the work of Japanese artist Baku Maeda. An illustrator by trade, Maeda elevates the common gift wrap bow into an art form, crafting fierce animals and sculptural designs.
As soon as I saw them, I had to find out more about the man behind the bows. We corresponded via email, and turns out he lives in Hokkaido, a Northern Japanese island that's full of nature and wild-life. He's been inspired by the organic forms and wild animals since he was a child, and just decided to try using ribbon to create that same organic and rhythmic sense he gets from his environment.
He works with Shindo ribbons, and has them create a special fabric just for him (with extra tension so it can be shaped). So far, he's created a few shop displays and done custom gift-wrapping -- and will relaunch his website, Ribbonesia, with e-commerce this winter -- but I suspect we'll start to see his work in all sorts of collaborations as the word gets out.
Photos courtesy of Ribbonesia.
Kevin Sharkey 
From: Jen @ RamblingRenovators | 9/18/12 at 10:05 am
Those are fascinating! Amazing how with a few twists and curls he is able to convey the sense of the animal. I would love to receive that lion atop a shimmery holiday gift.