Medium: Hand-colored etching with chine collé
Dimensions: 4 x 3 inches (image) 8 3/4 x 9 1/2 inches (sheet)
Signature: Signed
Artist details: Japanese, 1969
Date finished: 2012
Edition: of 25

Recommended by Nikki:

(Art Photographer / Marketing and Exhibitions Specialist)

I have been craving playful lightheartedness lately, and Ando’s etchings provide just that with a nod to Lewis Carol’s ‘Through the Looking Glass’. In this piece, the white rabbit seems to be slowly falling out of the tree and into springtime. Wintertime has passed and new adventures await.

Medium: Wood engraving
Dimensions: 4 3/4 x 6 7/8 inches
Artist details: Canadian, 1939
Edition: of 40

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

The sweet, playful smile of the squirrel invites a warm and calm feeling that is quickly subverted once the intense and menacing cougar eyes come into focus. Waiting. I love the artist’s intensity mixed with playfulness in his storytelling that comes through in narration and skillful engraving techniques.

Medium: Hand carved Kimono mulberry paper stencil
Dimensions: 14 3/4 x 6 1/4 inches
Artist details: Japanese
Date finished: Meiji period c. 1890 - 1900

Recommended by Sunny: 
(Collections Assistant)

This piece is a hand-carved, mulberry paper stencil that was once used in the Japanese fabric dying process, known as Katagami. The mulberry paper is handmade and naturally waterproofed with persimmon juice. The pattern was carved and reinforced with silk threads. While there is a clearly recognizable pattern, I find beauty in the creators intentional, asymmetrical abstraction. Not only is the piece itself a work of art, but understanding its function and history ignites imagination. Producing a new found appreciation.

Series: The Alchemy of Love
Medium: Drypoint
Dimensions: 7 1/4 x 6 inches (Image/Sheet)
Signature: Signed on reverse
Artist details: American / Pacific Northwest, 1968
Date finished: 2023
Edition: of 7 E.V.

Recommended by Paige (Collections Manager / Marketing Coordinator):

The 'Alchemy of Love' series is captivating, and this piece in particular can lock me in an endless loop. There's a little contradiction – using text and words to tell us 'There are no words here'. My mind can go over that detail again and again. In the end, I love it because this simple contradiction reveals how hard it is to express ourselves or our experiences. We have only words to describe the indescribable. Landsaat also offers twisted vines, knotted branches, and eccentric demons to help us visualize our predicament, but the rest is left to us.

Medium: Linocut
Dimensions: 6 1/2 x 5 inches (image)
Signature: Signed
Artist details: Mexican, 1972
Date finished: 2002
Edition: of 60

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

Rodriguez’s graphic depictions of difficult-to-swallow topics feel tangible. The bold lines of the background draw attention to the small figures above the scene. One figure is shouting from a helicopter and pointing a gun, while the other also shouts and gestures frantically from a high-rise building. Both frame the central two figures who bare horns and tails to mark them as evil. Interestingly, the largest figure, assumed to be the artist dressed as a businessman, is hunched over with his hand in his pocket, tired. Even his pointed ears and large wings droop. The artist reminds us there’s no peace for those who choose evil from their positions of power.

Medium: Hand-colored etching with chine-collé
Dimensions: 4 x 4 inches (image)
Signature: Signed
Artist details: Japanese, 1969
Date of impression: 2019
Edition: of 20

Recommended by Catherine (Collections Specialist / Gallery Associate):

The symbolism within Mariko Ando's illustrative etchings reveals deeply unifying and poignant narratives, told through her animal subjects. Surrounded by thorny roses, the rabbit is attentively watching a gently floating feather, ready to catch it with their nimble fingers before it falls into the thorns. I see this as a reminder to seek softness and tenderness in my life, even when faced with the threat of pain, while the blood red roses call to my mind the often beautiful and life-affirming nature of painful experiences.

Medium: Linocut
Dimensions: 3 x 2 inches (Image), 7 3/4 x 6 1/2 inches (Sheet)
Signature: Signed
Artist details: Mexican, 1972
Date finished: 2017
Edition: of 20

Recommended by Catherine:

(Collections Specialist / Gallery Associate)

With mid-September's Harvest Moon and partial lunar eclipse, I've been thinking about the moon a lot lately. This linocut by Artemio Rodriguez simply and beautifully captures the whimsical serenity of admiring the moon in the deep night sky. The crescent's lovely face makes her feel like a dear friend, enjoying a quiet rest above Earth's rocky terrain.

Medium: Etching and aquatint
Dimensions: 18 1/4 x 6 5/8 inches
Artist details: British, 1970
Edition: of 100

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

As summer winds down, I am reminded of all the house chores I’ve left piled up, including washing the duvet. I love Langford’s humor around this chore. I sympathize laughingly with the person in the etching struggling in each scene to make the duvet fit inside the cover. This piece gives me a welcome lighthearted feeling as I look forward to the fall season.

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: Mezzotint
Dimensions: 7 x 8 3/4 inches (image)
Artist details: American, 1953
Date finished: 1982
Edition: of 75

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

Carol Wax is an expert mezzotint printmaker (a time-consuming process that uses extreme lights and darks to build up an image on a copperplate). In this scene fire, twine, and darkness (with time as a witness) play an important role in Wax’s narrative. To feed the light, the twine must burn, but there is a finite amount of the consumable resource before the flame inevitably goes out and it becomes dark.

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.

Medium: Woodcut
Dimensions: 7 1/2 x 12 inches (image) 13 x 17 inches (sheet)
Signature: Signed
Artist details: American, 1937 - 2012
Date finished: 1986
Edition: of 33

Recommended by Paige (Collections Manager / Marketing Coordinator):

The VW Bus is charming all on its own, but Lockwood Dennis’s version is even better. His woodcut style blends so well with the simple, graphic nature of the bus. This piece is not trying to be perfect, it's just trying to show its true character. It has plenty of nostalgia in the best way, showing a love for the bold graphics of the ad era when sleek and minimal had yet to reign. 

Medium: Linocut
Dimensions: 7 x 5 inches (image) 12 1/2 x 9 1/2 inches (sheet)
Signature: Signed
Artist details: British / Chinese, 1973
Date finished: 2013
Edition: of 25

Recommended by Catherine (Collections Specialist):

Wuon-Gean Ho's colorful linocuts are full of charm and story-telling. This particularly charming piece depicts a fish moving to a new home, seemingly with the help of another fish friend. The bold palette of primary colors and cute expressions call to mind an illustration from a children's book, while the objects the fish has chosen to bring with them increase that feeling of innocence and whimsy. I especially love the potted plant, the toothbrush, and the bicycle (Who doesn't love the image of a fish riding a bicycle?). Looking at this piece reminds me to find the fun and delight in life's new chapters and adventures.

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. 

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: Wood engraving
Dimensions: 6 7/8 x 4 5/8 inches (Image) 10 1/2 x 7 1/2 inches (Sheet)
Signature: Signed
Artist details: Canadian, 1939
Edition: of 46

Recommended by Catherine (Collections Specialist):

Jim Westergard's charming wood engravings often feature animals in comedic situations, using plays on words and topical humor. This hilariously irreverent print truly needs no explanation and seems especially appropriate in light of all the latest indictment news.

Medium: Lithograph
Dimensions: 8 x 8 inches
Signature: Signed
Artist details: American, 1969
Date finished: 2006

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

"In traditional western visual art, women are often depicted lounging and passive, while men are shown in active roles. Here, in Jenny Schmid’s imagined world of DzR, these roles are flipped. A skateboarding young woman is watching a lounging young man read a book. As she rides her skateboard, the young woman is literally breathing life and energy into the square scene built up of vibrant blues and oranges, offset by an analogous yellow background. Jenny Schmid’s work continues to grow in popularity with her contemporary takes on traditional ideas. This piece is one of her few left at Davidson Galleries still available for under $200."

Medium: Linocut on Chinese Xuan paper
Dimensions: 8 x 6 inches (image)
Signature: Signed
Artist details: British / Chinese, 1973
Edition: of 50

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

"During her residency at the Royal Academy Schools, Wuon-Gean Ho completed a number of linocut prints in the historic ‘Life Room’, where figure drawing often takes place. In her rendition of Venus, Ho’s playful personality shines through this European traditional space. She brings the statue to life with her rendition of arms, hands, and even a cell phone on the famous woman’s armless body. The linocut print is a reverse image of the actual statue’s left-right orientation. This tells us that Ho most likely carved her linocut block as if it were a life drawing sketch (treating her carving tools like pencils) before printing the resulting image. She even chose to include an alternate view of the statue as well as another artist drawing in the background, much like students would in a figure drawing class. Ho has created a delightfully colorful and humorous take on illustrating a woman’s form with the hallmark textures only linocut relief prints can offer."

Medium: Etching
Dimensions: 5 3/4 x 4 1/2 inches (image)
Artist details: American, 1950
Date finished: 2007
Edition: of 30

Recommended by Paige (Collections Manager):

"Mary Farrell's etchings have an amazing precision and texture that make her imagery so visceral. In Identity, Farrell uses harsh contrast to cover the figure's shoulders and neck in highlights but shroud their face in shadows. I find so much mystery in the figure - the lack of context encourages anonymity but the face seems so specific, the pose is generic but hostile or at least uninviting, a cold but honest portrait. The title further mystifies me as I wonder how well I know this person from Farrell's image, or what really makes up an identity."

Medium: Etching and engraving
Dimensions: 5 1/8 x 5 1/8 inches
Signature: Signed
Artist details: Russian, 1976
Date finished: 2018
Edition: AP of XX

Recommended by Suzannah (Marketing and Communications Manager):

Ivan Rusachek’s dreamlike etchings deliver the viewer into a liminal world. In “Full Moon - 100 Years of Solitude,” he references the magic realist masterpiece of Gabriel Garcia Marquez. The woman depicted in this etching looks right into the viewer, much the way characters from Marquez’s novel see through time and even their own narrative. The symbol of the moon is at once a window into into the world and a shield from it. Rusachek’s interpretation of “One Hundred Years of Solitude” exemplify his ability to translate the essence of ephemeral stories that touch the heart of humanity, conveying meaning while retaining complex mystery.

Medium: Reduction woodcut
Dimensions: 8 x 10 inches (image)
Signature: Signed
Artist details: American, 1938
Date Finished: 1985
Edition: of 180

Recommended by Nikki (Fine Print Photographer & Content Publisher):
"Gordon Mortensen uses precise registration and his keen eye for layering color in this reduction woodcut. Mortensen prints a single color of ink; cuts away a small amount of wood; inks the same block in a different color, before cutting away more from the block; and repeating for as many different colors as the viewer can spot. This process can be daunting for many artists because once you cut the block, there is no going back. The result of Mortensen’s intense labor is a wide variety of texture and an expert build up of layers into atmospheric perspective that make for a stunning landscape."

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: Engraving
Dimensions: 13 x 15 1/2 inches
Signature: Signed
Artist details: Italian, 1939
Date finished: 1975
Edition: of 100

Recommended by Suzannah (Collections Assistant):
"I am fascinated by places and scenes that defy reason and stretch the imagination. Maurillo Minuzzi's Panorama I depicts a lone mountain floating in a sea of negative space, which initially feels realistic but like a place in a dream it grows stranger the longer it is observed. The mountain has the topography of land but the texture of a body, and it casts a shadow on the sky behind it. Panorama I takes the viewer to a place that is familiar to their subconscious and difficult to comprehend."

Medium: Etching and aquatint
Dimensions: 7 3/4 x 11 3/4 inches (Image) 13 1/4 x 17 inches (Sheet)
Signature: Signed
Artist details: Japanese, 1957
Edition: of 35

Recommended by Nikki (Fine Print Photographer & Content Publisher):
"Asahi’s work perfectly balances technical skill with playfulness. This particular etching is full of graceful arcs and twirls that spin the viewer in towards the town at the center. Asahi uses her signature color palette to create a softness that’s pleasing to look at with tiny pops of color that also serve to direct the viewer’s eye. Each character depicted is given importance and movement - even the buildings seem to be enjoying themselves, tucked between the jumping fish and waves of the water."

Medium: Intaglio and linocut
Dimensions: 4 x 6 inches (image)
Signature: Signed
Artist details: British / Chinese, 1973
Date finished: 2009
Edition: of 20

Recommended by Nikki (Fine Print Photographer & Content Publisher):
"Wuon Gean Ho’s Devour V is from  a series of intaglios she created in 2009. This series begins with a woman asleep, laying on top of a tiger. The cat awakes first and begins walking around until the woman also awakes and opens her feral-looking eyes. They separate from one another, and begin sizing each other up as they circle. They grapple, but do eventually come to terms with each other (tiger licks the woman’s face) before dissolving into each other and  the landscape. Devour V illustrates the moment when the woman is fully awake to her struggle with full realization of her circumstances and is actively fighting. Part of being human is coming to terms with our own wild cats that can wake up in us. Eventually, there will be peace and acceptance, but we first have to face them. Ho makes this struggle look sensual and chaotic with her use of subtle plate tone wiping and overlapping hatch marks in the plate. She effectively captures how it can feel to be rolling about with one’s own demons in the intimate space of our own heads."

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: Woodcut
Dimensions: 6 1/4 x 8 1/2 inches (image) 11 x 13 inches (sheet)
Signature: Signed
Artist details: American, 1937 - 2012
Date finished: 1992
Edition: of 27
Reference: LD 192

Recommended by Nikki (Fine Print Photographer & Content Publisher):
"During a road trip along highway 101, in the middle of nowhere, my friend and I pulled over to look at the stars near the edge of a cliff. There was no light pollution and we stood there in the freezing cold for a long while  - silent and still. It’s a powerful thing to feel that small underneath something so big. I was reminded of my human-ness and felt connected to that stillness and place. Lockwood Dennis captures so much of how I felt in that moment. His works typically have multiple colors, but here, Dennis chose to let a single color convey the magnitude of a brief moment. This small woodcut even captures the bright glow of the stars reflected on the cliff face."

Medium: Woodcut
Dimensions: 12 x 8 inches (image) 17 1/4 x 11 1/2 inches (sheet)
Signature: Signed
Artist details: American, 1987
Date finished: 2019
Edition: of 10

Recommended by Emma (Marketing & Communications Manager):
"I'm delighted and pleasantly surprised by how lasting an impression this graphic yucca print has left on me since first seeing it. The vertical format, rich black gradient, and unexpected use of negative space are simple and satisfying. There's nothing to overthink and everything to enjoy. It's incredibly charming how Spitzack has taken an ordinary subject and made such striking imagery with it."

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: Reduction woodcut
Dimensions: 6 x 8 inches (image) 8 x 10 1/4 inches (sheet)
Signature: Signed
Artist details: American, 1938
Date Finished: 1982
Edition: of 300

Recommended by Emma (Marketing & Communications Manager):
"Gordon Mortensen is known for his use of vibrant color palettes and his richly detailed reduction woodcut landscapes. In Winter Sumac, the palette is just ever so slightly 'muted' in comparison - if you consider gorgeous lilac and fuschia tones muted. This scene, like all of his landscapes, makes me want to go outside and appreciate the beauty of nature during this cold winter season."

Medium: Etching
Dimensions: 5 x 4 7/8 inches
Signature: Signed
Artist details: Russian, 1959
Date finished: 2010
Edition: of 60

Recommended by Nikki (Fine Print Photographer & Content Publisher):
"This tiny etching is expertly crafted by Eastern European artist, Vladimir Zuev, to illustrate the story of Leda and the swan (aka, Zeus pretending to be a swan). Zeus seduces or rapes Leda, depending on the storyteller. Zeus fills the background, but subtly, despite his violent action. Instead, Zuev centers the story on Leda and does not overly sexualize her like most popular depictions, including not giving her hair. There are clues to her gender, but she is closed off to the viewer with her crossed legs and bent arms - not available for visual consumption. Instead, Leda is looking directly at the viewer - forcing us to look at her humanity.  

This image serves as a reminder that violence towards women is still prevalent, but not just in overt actions. It exists in the books we read, the media we consume, the words we use, the stories we retell, the art we purchase. This small image packs a very large punch and reminds us to critically analyze our own behaviors and constructs of thinking around women and violence."