That used to be the way that “oriental people” were described, back in the old black and white movies’ days. I remember watching Charlie Chan films with my Mum when I was little, on BBC2 on a Saturday afternoon – we also watched a lot of musicals!

So, for me the term oriental has many inflections…

I started out making the background with strips of torn masking tape to leave space for journalling – trying to be a bit more disciplined!! Then came the walnut ink and some watercolour tones of brown.

“When I collaged this page I was thinking about the “state of GRACE” and that no matter how much you want to RAGE against the Machine, it doesn’t pay to rant and scream. It’s better just to try to maintain your dignity and keep your self-respect by rising above it all and preserving a dignified silence.”

It was unfinished, so I added colour and shading and some doodles, plus more detailed text… At the top I wrote:

“Although she looks very beautiful with her hazel eyes, I bet she’s not inscrutable, like the oriental races are… or appear to be! He has his glasses to hide behind.”

“Is it really better to live a minimalist life? Should we really discard things and not invest them with memories? Are we just too sentimental? Too steeped in the clutter and ownership of possessions?

Is “less” really “more”?”

Ironically, the Fortune Cookie paper at the bottom reads: You have a keen sense of humour and love a good time.

For Take a Word – “Oriental”.