For the twenty-fifth post of WORKING HANDS and the last blog of 2024, we had a lovely visit with an LA based artist, Kris Chau at her studio in Echo Park neighborhood.
Q1. How do you use your nähe dry bag, packing pouch and penco Carry Tite case – we’re loving the color red you picked.
These will actually be used for Monde UFO Tour ( the band I am in with my person Ray Monde )! Touring often comes with smelly laundry, so the nähe Dry bag will be to keep it tightly under wraps! The penco packing pouch will def be for all my bathroom things, often we are staying at homes and hostels with a shared bathroom so a clear lil case to carry to the bathroom is really nice.
Kris also uses the nähe packing pouch in small for storing her stationery goods.
The Carry Tite case is so great because it has an adjustable size for a tablet or a laptop or even just for my cables it's a really nice versatile piece. All my travel items are Red, I have two red suitcases. Sometimes life is really crazy so color coding somethings gives my brain a signal of what its for, Red - Travel. Also in case it’s lost or stolen it’s easier to identify.
Also we see you are the Hobonichi Techo user! How did you find out about the Hobonichi techo first and why did you select this planner out of all other planners?
I love the Hobonichi techo! I chose it for it’s monthly plus daily pages, and also it’s small size and timeless book appearance. I need the month overview because I need to visualize what my life looks like for the whole month. And I like the daily page space to journal or keep a list or take notes on my body changes or feelings. I literally found it because Hightide has such a good variety of planners and I guess this is just the one I picked out! I realized I like serious looking things to take myself seriously. My time and days are serious resources.
Q2. In our online / tech driven world, what does it mean to do things by hand to you?
Oh wow, I will try to keep this ramble short because this is a topic I think about quite often as I do everything by hand. Well first and foremost doing things with my hands is more fun and better for my brain. I don’t find doing things on the phone or computer very appealing. I like the look and feel of paper. I also think too much convenience is bad for ones constitution and society.
Kris assembles her new 2025 calendar with hand-torn fabric piece.
Each calendar is enclosed with a traditional Joss gold paper and her blessing.
Q3. Pen or pencil?
Tough one. Both! I use pencil constantly for my own work and I like the impermanence of it. As for pen, there is deep satisfaction in a very inky navy ball-point pen on a dry piece of paper with a little tooth. The way it grabs onto the paper, not really gliding, but a light tug as ink is left behind, is a sensory pleasure for me, as a drawer.
Kris' drawing tools, left to right: Paper Mate Sharp Writer #2, penco Knock Ballpoint pen, Pentel Sign Pen, Sharpie & the Oil Pastels
Q4. What’s in your pen case, if you don’t use a pen case, how do you organize and store your pens and stationeries?
Oof, I sort of let go of organizing my drawing tools. At my desk it’s just mugs, on the go it’s anything I can find normally it's old incense boxes. The world is my pencil case.
Q5. What is your most favorite stationery?
The Paper Mate Sharp Writer #2 has a hold on my work life. I started taking them from my job when I was a designer, now I still use them for working in the studio. The Astier de Villiatte sketchbooks are my all time favorite ones because of the paper, the muted warm gray that's not too smooth with the gold edges are a real joy.
Kris Chau is an LA based multi-disciplinary artist – she is a drawer, painter, sound maker, printmaker and sewer. She hosts a figure drawing class at Heavy Manners Library.
Kris is in the band with Ray Monde called Monde UFO. Check out their first 2025 show at Zebulon!
