My favorite objects in the studio ーfish shaped paintbrush stand

This cast iron paintbrush stand originally belonged to my grandmother, who is a calligrapher. It was all covered in ink, so I started cleaning it but stopped halfway, realizing that it was an act of erasing my grandmother's traces. Now that I am using it, it has specks of yellow and red on it, and it's starting to feel like an ideal collaboration.

My grandmother is one of the most dedicated artists I know who I adore and admire. She practiced calligraphy up until her mid-nineties when she moved to a nursing home. She initially took lessons in her adolescence for a few years, along with flower arrangement and tea ceremony. She took up calligraphy again when my mother, her only child, had grown. My grandfather passed away very young, so when my family lived in the United States, she lived alone in Japan. Much of her time was dedicated to calligraphy and tending her beautiful garden. She was never interested in fame or commercial success. Calligraphy was part of her daily life and simply a lifestyle.