蕨野知子小姐來自日本愛知縣名古屋，從前修讀Fine art，在孩子出生後便當起了全職主婦。媽媽的時鐘有點不一樣，待孩子入睡，如果還未筋疲力盡的話，才能偷一點自己的時間，能動手創作便夜已深。
A native to the city of Nagoya in Aichi Prefecture, Warabino Tomoko is a fine art graduate and later became a full-time mum after the birth of her child. Being an expecting parent somehow implies adopting a different biological clock — as a mother, you need to wait until the child is asleep to have some personal time, provided that you are not already exhausted. It is usually late at night when Warabino can squeeze time to work on her accessories.
用手比劃在牆上共舞的影子畫、〈戴珍珠耳環的少女〉、呵欠的貓、在旅行中遇見的驢子、或從故事書裡跑出來的角色，生活跟想像和成了一團，也被知子小姐用陶泥捏成了別針與飾品。刻意留著粗糙的線條，好些彷舊化的痕跡，風化的模樣，在粉引下透著土色，如平凡日子，有些缺失，片段一個疊著一個的連起來了，斑駁地留在心中。
創作時，「常常會覺得這個釉色很好，所以就塗上了。」或是「這個質地很好，很想再做一次，這樣就不會忘記了。」同一個東西，但每次呈現出都是獨特的模樣，「但這種不同大家會否接納呢。」知子小姐隱約有點猶豫，「在穩定方面可能是不夠好，但每次都會有新的發現啊！」心裡還是期待著，客人跟作品的一期一會。店裡販售著知子小姐作品的「常常集品」老闆說，很喜歡日本人把生活自然地融入到創作，即使是細枝末節，卻樂見其中的趣味。
Hand shadow puppets on the wall, Girl with a Pearl Earring, a yawning cat, a donkey she came across during a trip, characters from fairy tales… Warabino loves to turn things she sees in real life, as well as her imagination into brooches and accessories, by using clay as the material. The raw finishings that the artist intentionally left have made the accessories to appear as worn and torn. The natural color of the clay is also still visible under the paint faintly applied over. Looking at her products, they remind me of our ordinary days that are filled with imperfections. All the big and small happenings are, in a way, connected together and stay in our minds as memories.
When executing my designs, “I would apply some glaze on because I like the color,” she says, “After achieving a result that I’m happy with, I would do it once again so that I won’t forget the feelings.” However, the outcome is always unique, even if you have the same design in mind. “Will people embrace these differences as seen in the final products?” Warabino shows some hesitation as she raises the question, “It is true to say that there is room for improvement in standardizing the products, but this way allows me to be constantly inspired by the outcome!” Deep in her heart, she hopes all her products can become a unique encounter with her customers, and leave a remarkable trace in their memory. Owner of Changchang Goodstore, a shop in Hong Kong that sells Warabino Tomoko’s design, is a fan of the way how Japanese integrate art into their daily lives, where he can often find a delightful touch in some minute details.
轉了一種方式生活，有些東西一直還在吧。很多取捨很多勇氣，都融進去而不是切割了。「我不擅長表達純粹可愛的東西。」可愛的是那些時光本身啊。
Even if you adapt to a completely new lifestyle, you still live with traces of your past, be it tangible or intangible. Letting go takes courage, as it is challenging to depart from a realm once you have become part of it. “I am not good at making cute designs.” Perhaps this is true, but her designs do bring to us loads of cute and adorable moments.
Available at Changchang Goodstore
