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It is interesting to see
now how strict I was with myself by staying with
the early ukiyo-e prints when choosing designs for
my reproductions. No famous Hokusai or Hiroshige
landscapes ... There were a few reasons for this:
foremost was that I found the clean lines and
sweeping curves of these old prints (this one is
attributed to Kiyomasu) very attractive, but I am
sure that this was also tempered by the knowledge
that I simply didn't have the skills to attempt
large-scale multi-colour work (although print #004
had been done with a few blocks to add tones).
(click image for a larger
version in a 'popup' window)
This was carved on the reverse side of the block
that I used for #004, and even though only a couple
of months separate them, the quality of the carving
is very different. Actually that's not correct -
the quality is really no different, it's the
scale of the work that has changed. I was
now attempting much more delicate work, much finer
that I had any right to try ... If I had been
working with a sensei or had been
apprenticed to an experience printmaker, he would
of course never have let me try such things. For
better or worse, I cannot say ...
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