Medium: Mezzotint
Dimensions: 15 5/8 x 15 5/8 inches (Image) 20 3/4 x 20 3/8 inches (Sheet)
Signature: Signed
Artist details: Japanese, 1967
Date finished: 2020
Edition: of 40

Recommended by Paige:

(Collections Manager / Marketing Coordinator)

This piece expresses how I often feel when I am out of place in a new place. Traveling far from home or starting over somewhere new can be a surreal experience; sometimes you pause and wonder, how did I get here? Or why am I here? Leaving can feel like stepping off a cliff into the unknown, represented here by total black. But she hasn't fallen, she might even be floating, elevating to something greater: ascending.

Medium: Color relief print
Dimensions: 4 x 4 inches (block) 6 3/4 x 4 3/4 inches (sheet)
Signature: Signed
Artist details: Japanese, 1924 - 2000
Date: 1972
Edition: 151
Reference: HM  #399

Recommended by Rebecca (Gallery Associate):

Haku Maki was an incredibly innovative printmaker, adding cement to the foundation of the printing matrix after cutting his woodblocks. This unique craft puts his work in conversation with contemporary printmakers such as Carol Summers (American, 1925 - 2016), or in tandem with Hiroyuki Tajima (Japanese, 1911 - 1984) who also used cement, or Glen Alps (American, 1914 - 1996) who used household paint additives such as ground walnut shells and Durham's Rock Hard Putty. Haku Maki's small prints from around 1960, like this one, were abstractions of Kanji characters. Using a thicker paper in 1963, helped captured the deeper embossing and accentuated the sculptural and textural qualities. His small prints are gems with dashes of color.

Medium: Woodcut
Dimensions: 8 x 8 inches (Image) 11 1/2 x 10 3/4 inches (Sheet)
Signature: Signed
Artist details: Japanese, 1940
Edition: of 30

Recommended by Nikki (Art Photographer / Marketing and Exhibitions Specialist):

Aoki is so good at showcasing the human experience.To me, this piece encapsulates so much of the dynamic between anyone in relation to another. It could be between two coworkers, two friends, two lovers, two family members, or two strangers. The focus is on two fingers pointing at one another, accusingly, but the space between their curved bodies and their defensive opposite hands tell more of the story. It’s what isn’t said and how our bodies react to another’s accusations that tend to fill up negative space in a relationship.

Medium: Lithograph
Dimensions: 23 1/2 x 33 1/2 inches (image)
Signature: Signed
Artist details: Japanese, 1961
Date finished: 2000
Edition: of 15

Recommended by Paige (Collections Manager / Marketing Coordinator):

In the 'Light Time Silence’ series, Yamamoto creates mysterious spaces that are both blank and full of meaning. A story with one too many details missing. Chairs placed (or abandoned?) in front of windows. Spaces empty of signifiers. ‘Light Time Silence #17’ is slightly different because there are more objects that whisper about this type of place and its type of person. We don’t know where they’ve gone, but their dishes are drying next to the sink. We don’t know where this room is but it seems to be in an old building. As we enter a space that we believe to be a home, we turn our focus to who owns this chair, who belongs in this chair. We think about what is needed to make a space into a home because we can see that this blank space has the proper foundation, but an uncanny neutrality, an absence. A home without a heart. A place without its people.

Medium: Color relief print with embossing
Dimensions: 5 3/8 x 3 5/8 inches (block) 6 x 4 1/4 inches (sheet)
Signature: Signed
Artist details: Japanese, 1924 - 2000
Date finished: 1970s

Recommended by Paige (Collections Manager / Marketing Coordinator):

A humble, small piece, this work by Haku Maki is magical to me. It shows an amazing knowledge of the simple things. The embossing is subtle but complex and reminds us how much can be done just within the paper even before adding anything on top of it. The graphics are clear and uncomplicated but looking at the passages where the color opens to the white paper, or the richness of the indigo ink and shimmer of silver, there is so much to enjoy. A complex little poem in itself.

Medium: Oil painting on handmade Mitsumata paper
Dimensions: 13 x 18 inches (image / sheet)
Signature: Signed
Artist details: Japanese, 1950
Date finished: 2016

Recommended by Paige (Collections Manager / Marketing Coordinator):

Lately, I have been reflecting on art's place in the face of tragedy, of war, and of suffering. This piece, 'For Fukushima - Hannya-shingyo II', has always struck me visually, but it has captured my mind especially in this context. Hiroshima beautifully understands art as remembrance, art as witness, art as prayer. The artist's hands are felt in the texture of the handmade paper, in each layer of color applied, in each stroke of calligraphy. The language speaks of wisdom and in deep red, it is powerful but not forceful. The mountains are dark but they touch a bright sky. This piece naturally inspires honest reflection.

Recommended by Nikki (Fine Print Photographer / Marketing and Digital Content Specialist):

Obata’s piece is delightfully charming. It’s as though I am looking through a window I wiped condensation off of to better see the snowfall outside. A pet dog is even reflected in one of the streaking, water droplets. The winter scene feels comforting and cozy, complete with a tiny bird flying around the dormant trees in the snow.

Series: Transmigration (Transferred Soul)
Medium: Wood engraving with chine-collé
Dimensions: 12 3/4 x 6 1/2 inches (image)
Signature: Signed
Artist details: Japanese, 1944
Date finished: 1988
Edition: of 40

Recommended by Catherine (Collections Specialist):

Keisei Kobayashi's intricate wood engravings often explore themes around ecology and nature mysticism. His piece Roots B from the 'Transmigration' series is a beautiful depiction of the reciprocity between humans and nature within the process of death. At a quick glance, the image appears to be of a dead tree, its scraggly and bare branches inviting the company of crows. A closer look reveals a glowing figure, sitting within the roots of the tree and bringing new life through the trunk. A clear symbol of rebirth in light of death, it also conveys a feeling of peaceful renewal in the midst of grief.

Recommended by Nikki (Fine Print Photographer / Marketing and Digital Content Specialist):

Takeda’s depiction of the death card is filled with eyes wide open, including on the intense central figure with their hands gracefully crossed, staring straight back at the viewer. In tarot, drawing the death card isn’t always a bad thing. Death is a normal part of life and can mean a new beginning as well as an end to something. As the year winds closer to its own death, this etching is a reminder to be alert and conscious about what in our own lives needs to come to a close and what could use more of our energy. 

Recommended by Paige (Collections Manager / Marketing Coordinator):

Kouki Tsuritani’s ‘Pulcinella’ is a brilliant version of the cunning, rebel character I adore. The use of mezzotint accents the character perfectly with its darkness emphasizing his severity and the softness building mystery. This Pulcinella is composed and stoic with his prominent nose and just slits in the mask to reveal his eyes. There is so much to explore in Pulcinella’s gaze, the town on his hat and collar, and the moon’s reflection cradled in his arms. 

Medium: Woodblock
Dimensions: 7 7/8 x 7 7/8 inches (Image) 10 5/8 x 10 5/8 inches (Sheet)
Signature: Signed
Artist details: Japanese, 1940
Edition: of 30

Recommended by Nikki (Fine Print Photographer / Marketing and Digital Content Specialist):

Aoki’s woodcuts have a delightful charm. ‘Everyone on Earth 2’ breaks away from the traditional rectangular woodblock shape and playfully pulls viewers into its circular shape. Inside the circle, there are silhouettes of people in exaggerated poses that make the piece feel kinetic. Aoki’s world full of people has a liveliness to it that is captivating and lightens any mood.

Medium: Etching, collagraph, relief, chine-collé
Dimensions: 9 3/4 x 7 3/4 inches
Signature: Signed
Artist details: Japanese, 1967
Date finished: 1998
Edition: of 30

Recommended by Nikki (Fine Print Photographer & Content Publisher):

"Collagraph is a medium that became popular in the ‘60s after synthetic adhesives and plastics became more readily available. Artists from all over the world were invited to visit the studio of Glen Alps in Seattle, WA to try out the process of gluing substrates, scribing marks into the dried substrates, and printing the results as intaglio plates. This relatively new medium has continued its popularity  in the studios of contemporary artists, like Akiko Taniguchi. In ‘Atom’, Taniguchi is using texture and layering on her collagraph to pull the viewer into her 10x8 inch world of abstraction. In it, viewers get to explore the word ‘atom’ within complimentary red and green hues and explosive almond shapes. Every square inch of the print is delightfully filled with new and interesting textures that only collagraph can offer."

Medium: Mezzotint
Dimensions: 9 1/2 x 6 inches
Signature: Signed
Artist details: Japanese, 1954
Date finished: 1999
Edition: XVI/XXX

Recommended by Catherine (Collections Specialist):

"Mikio Watanabe is known for his elegant and evocative depictions of nude figures, and the mezzotint 'Sur la Branche' is a wonderful example. The subject emerges from a somber atmosphere of black & gray tones, bathed in a soft luminescence. She has positioned herself on the branch with perfect balance and intention, unbothered by the seemingly immeasurable height below, radiating peace and quiet agency. With her head turned away and her identity hidden from the viewer, she keeps this moment to herself, like a precious secret. To the viewer, it feels like a privilege to observe this serene celebration of her strength and grace."

Medium: Etching and aquatint
Dimensions: 15 3/4 x 23 1/2 inches (image)
Signature: Signed
Artist details: Japanese, 1957
Edition: of 35
Condition: Some creases at lower left away from image.

Recommended by Nikki (Fine Print Photographer & Content Publisher):
"Starfish are symbolic of divine and endless love. These celestial beings sweep the background of Asahi’s highly technical etching. The little blue-eyed starfish serve as helpful and loving guides as the central female figure pours out the ocean from a shell as she sits on the back of a flying dragon. There is an energy to the piece, despite the artist including only tiny pops of color in the eyes and small details of each creature. Instead, linework and shape build the composition’s movement and playfulness. Each line etched into the plate is carefully scratched to give swirling loops to the water, striking contrast to the dragon scales, and delicate curves on the woman’s body. A visual boost of warm and energetic feelings."

Series: #46 from Famous Views of the Sixty-odd Provinces (Rokujuyoshu Meisho Zue)
Medium: Woodblock
Dimensions: 15 x 10 inches (Oban)
Artist details: Japanese, 1797 - 1858
Date of plate: Date of Block 1853/1812
Condition: Very good early color. Margins skillfully restored.

Recommended by Rebecca (Gallery Manager):
"Of the magnificent “Famous Views of the Sixty-Odd Provences”, ‘Mimasake Provence. Yamabusi Valley’ displays a wonderful humor and humanity. We can all relate to the man chasing his hat that has flown away in a wind storm. Amongst this expertly preserved and restored series of breathtaking Japanese landscapes, ‘Mimasake Provence. Yamabusi Valley’ reminds us to appreciate the little misadventures that make life interesting."

Series: Friends
Medium: Intaglio and chine-collé
Dimensions: 6 x 4 inches
Signature: Signed
Artist details: Japanese, 1960
Date finished: 2013
Edition: of 20

Recommended by Suzannah (Marketing and Communications Manager):
"Tomiyuki Sakuta’s haunting and dreamlike prints constantly shake me to my core and capture my imagination for hours. John 助運 is no different; It comes from a series of prints, Friends, in which Sakuta drew the faces of people from his first impression of their character. The eerie twisting of roots or fibers of John 助運 left me searching for a face among the disorder. Sakuta’s technique creates tactile lines that root me in my body, but in an image that unsettles and intrigues me."

Medium: Woodblock
Dimensions: 20 7/8 x 15 inches
Signature: Signed
Artist details: Japanese, 1940
Date finished: 2004
Edition: of 30

Recommended by Emma (Marketing & Communications Manager):
"Aoki's work often focuses on human interaction and human connection - or lack thereof. Amidst his many works featuring crowds of busy people and missed connections, Aoki has delivered this beautiful portrayal of two figures facing each other, stopped in time. With emphatically oversized arms, the figures demonstrate the incredible intimacy and tenderness of simple human touch. Though the figures have no facial features, the piece evokes the disarming sensation of staring directly into someone else's eyes. All that cannot be explained about human emotion seems to rest in the quiet space created between them." 

Series: Holes for Loneliness Games
Medium: Etching, aquatint
Dimensions: 10 1/4 x 10 1/2 inches (image) 15 1/2 x 15 3/4 inches (sheet)
Signature: Signed
Artist details: Japanese, 1986
Date finished: 2012
Edition: of 20

Recommended by Nikki (Fine Print Photographer & Content Publisher):
"The level of technical detail in this etching is intricate - from each character’s particular facial expression to the curtains, hanging plants, mirror, and archway tile designs. Takeda is so good at taking simple everyday things like drinking coffee at a coffee shop and turning them into interesting shadow box scenes. The viewer can’t help but look at each of the people in this crowded room and wonder what they are all thinking behind their wide eyes. The only character not looking at one another or at themselves in the mirror is the person directly in front of the viewer. Rather than participating in the gossip or chatter, this person is rolling their eyes and looking up at the ceiling, while they drink their coffee."

Medium: Etching, aquatint
Dimensions: 10 5/8 x 20 3/8 inches (image) 14 x 25 1/4 inches (sheet)
Signature: Signed
Artist details: Japanese, 1986
Date finished: 2015
Edition: of 15

Recommended by Sam (Owner & Director):
"Contemporary Japanese artist Azumi Takeda's etching Full, Full, Full is part of a wonderful series showing groups of people waiting, engrossed in various activities, or, as in this case, the artist focuses on the detritus left behind that references what they had been doing. There is order with the placement of the disparate objects, that speaks about each of the individuals that is no longer in the room. Takeda's use of the etching and aquatint process, is perfect for the detail required."

Medium: Woodcut
Dimensions: 7 1/2 x 7 1/4 inches (Blocks) 10 1/2 x 9 1/2 inches (Sheet)
Signature: Signed
Artist details: Japanese, 1940
Date finished: 2008
Edition: of 35

Recommended by Rebecca (Gallery Manager):
"Tetsuo Aoki is a master of illustrating people, relationships, and emotions. This woodcut in particular speaks volumes about the world today. The figure's back is arched in order to put their head in their exaggerated hands. The posture speaks to the angst and despondency of the main figure, as does the darkness of the ink. Meanwhile, through the gap we can see other people walking by as if all is normal. In the Hand is a small and intimate woodcut that mirrors how I feel while overwhelmed by these tragic events."

Medium: Wood engraving
Dimensions: 5 x 6 1/2 inches
Artist details: Japanese, 1964
Date finished: 2007
Edition: of 50

Recommended by Paige (Collections Manager):
"Toru Sugita is a California-based Japanese artist and teacher who creates a variety of landscape and city scene prints. He has spent years thinking about changing light and is an expert at capturing each specific type of light that is unique to a place and a moment. On My Balcony I is a beautiful, simple wood engraving that captures a very individual scene: "my" balcony. It isn't lavish or curated; it isn't full of lush plants or exciting people - it's simple and sincere. The intimate process of carving a wood block is felt in this small piece. I feel the block's texture and the quiet moments that the artist spent with it. Now that we often think about curating images of our lives to only present the very best and most exciting aspects of ourselves, I am fascinated by Sugita's emphasis on the ordinary."

Medium: Lithograph
Dimensions: 15 3/4 x 23 3/4 inches (image) 19 3/4 x 27 1/2 inches (sheet)
Signature: Signed
Artist details: Japanese, 1961
Date finished: 2017
Edition: of 30

Recommended by Rebecca (Gallery Manager):
"Although now a favorite artist of mine, I originally found Keisuke Yamamoto's lithographs to be a bit austere. It wasn't until I took the time to continue looking that my experience of the scene transformed. Now I feel welcomed into the moment. I long to sit in the chair, to feel the breeze enter the room through the window, and to be warmed by the light. The artist has impeccable technique from the drawing stage to the printing of the lithograph. To watch him sharpen a litho pencil is to understand his precision. Through exquisite rendering, Yamamoto brings to life a place and a moment that I long to experience."