This presentation is created to introduce Japonesca's handmade project, starting by her cv.

1. about
japonesca

2. photographer since 1986

3. japonesca’s japan
My name is Catalina Francisca
Higuera Castro (Barcelona,
1967). I started studying
Japanese in 1986, and of
course, I haven’t finished yet,
because after my first trip to
Japan, having no more school
degrees,I started self-studying
japanese language, there was a
lot of things to learn.
Actually I have three e-books
on japanese writings in Amazon
Kindle.
My first trip to Japan, awarded by Japan
Foundation, 1991

4. japan related jobs
I speak several languages
(japanese, spanish, catalan,
english and french). I used
all of them in Seville’s
Universal Exhibition
(EXPO’92) as a hostess in
Japan Pavilion.
Using the languages I
know,I’ve been as well
officer, tourist guide and
shop assistant in Barcelona.
We were reported in a newspaper, as the one of
the most visited pavilions in EXPO’92

5. living in Japan
Apart from my languages
knowledge, I’ve learnt
dramatic art and singing.
That’s why I worked in
Supein Mura (Iseshima,
Japan) as a entertainer.
At this time I took my
degree of japanese
language in Osaka (1997)
My japanese diploma, and some pictures working
in Supein Mura

6. devotion for arts.
Apart from languages and
performing arts, I'm graduated
as a photographer in
Barcelona’s Official
Audiovisual School (EMAV).
I'm dedicating my life to the
arts in many different ways.
Not only as a photographer,
actually I'm a professional
actress, you can read more
about it in escenaviva.es. Promoting our theater plays, mainly comedies.

7. blogger and artisan.
Internet gave me the chance
of promoting my activities.
So relating Japanese culture,
I’m blogging in
japonesca.com, that gave me
the inspiration to start my
artisan career three years
ago.

8. My philosophy

9. the soul of an artist.To feel the importance of art in our lives,
because is through the artistic happening
that beauty is sought inside oneself and is
projected outside through your works.
That’s a good meaning for life.

10. expressing myself
(the calling of arts).
Being an artist is
reflecting the way your
soul interacts with your
reality. When you’re an
artist, art can be in
everything you make. The
only one thing that may
change is the format
you’re using to express
your art.

11. what means “handmade” for me.
Japonesca creates unique objects for different
reasons.
One of them is the willing to apply the Japanese
proverb that says "busy hands, happy hands".
Another good reason is a little more about
"awareness": With the expansion of robotized
industry, people are getting to nothing to do. But
people are happy when they create, when they
make, when they build, and since the robots are
the best performing their tasks, craftsmanship is
a human outpost that provides tasks to people,
isn’t it?

12. Owed to the aesthetic
appreciation and pragmatic
sense in Japanese culture,
where applied arts, or
master craftsmen are very
important, Japonesca found
in the influences of
japanese art and fashion
the way to introduce art in
everyday life, and giving
the art a practical sense.
Artworks by Japonesca
have received the
influence of the japanese
calligraphy and the
classical japanese painting
motifs and techniques.
the japanese influence

13. Loyal translations,
Good quality
clothes
and personalized
designs and
creations are some
of the features
that Japonesca
feels proud of.
betting for quality

14. For Japonesca, personalization is a very nice
way to collaborate, and a good experience
that makes us more humans. You can see
reviews of my sold items, in Etsy’s reviews.
Japonesca designs the customer’s ideas, for
them to have the product they really want.
From typical japanese stamps, to japanese
curtains with a logo hand painted, or
kakemonos with the requested calligraphy. As
a matter of fact, Japonesca can face very
different challenges inspired by the
customers requests.
personalization: the big deal

15. Handicrafts by Japonesca are Japanese-inspired items,
adapted to the materials in the Spanish culture.
Like the zen parchments ( japanese calligraphy framed in spanish
fabrics).
Or the personalized translation for occidental names into
Japanese.
Kimonos and japanese fashion by Japonesca are made using
natural fabrics made in Spain, and designed for Western sizes.
Japonesca’s decor patterns are fully influenced by the shodo
calligraphy and the classical motifs of Japanese painting.
Because it is painted by hand, this constitutes at the same time a
work of art and is collectible. Family crests, japanese mythology
and religions, sumi-e, or Ukiyo-e stamps are recreated in
Japonesca’s curtains, clothes or parchments.
In short, Japonesca’s handicrafts are inspired in one way or
another by the culture, lifestyle and typical Japanese artistic
manifestations.
mottos for my creation.

16. a constantly growing project(and how it started)
Because japanese culture has such a variety of
options that leaves no space for monotony,
Japonesca is always searching new ways to
create different and unique items, her
knowledge of japanese culture serves to her
artistic expression and her catalogue is
constantly growing.
She started by learning japanese language,
that impulsed her to learn shodo. Shodo had to
be framed in kakemono. And kanji writing
passed to hand painted cloth, and got coloured
with typical japanese images. For bigger
paintings came the furoshiki,and the japanese
noren curtains. When Japonesca got the sewing
machine, started the kimono line.
...And carrying on!

17. marketing content in the blog:
when it all makes a sense.
Japonesca’s blog, japonesca.com (in spanish),
is based in three main concepts to write contents:
education, entertainment and trading, to offer a marketing
content funny and instructive, offering knowledge,
entertainment and at the same time, something for sale.
Apart from japanese language, in japonesca.com you can
learn about the sense half-curtains noren have, or the
different types of hachimaki (japanese headband), and
techniques and artistic currents like shodo, sumi-e or
ukiyo-e. Fashion talks about lifestyle,like motifs based
in japanese religions and mythology, or the martial arts.

18. my selling places
Today, Japonesca offers her handicrafts
primarily online, with some of their fashion
creations for sale in a shop in Barcelona,
Last Tango BCN.
You can see the creations of Japonesca on
these two websites:
https://www.etsy.com/es/shop/Japonesca
http://tienda.japonesca.com/
and for ebooks on japanese writing,
Amazon Kindle