I visited Japan in April of 2023, hoping to catch a glimpse of the Cherry Blossoms, but due to unseasonably warm weather, most had fallen. Thankfully, a quick trip north to a 300 year old tree in full bloom gave me plenty of inspiration.
This is part of a new series of work I'm slowly creating, as yet unnamed but I've been jokingly dubbing it 'Ukiyo-e without the wood'. Unlike the more airy Sumi-e paintings, I'm more interested in the rigid outlines of Japanese woodblock prints, but these are unique original paintings. This painting's background is a re-design of an old woodblock print of cherry blossoms and yellow birds, painted in a more realistic style.
For materials, I use Sumi-e ink, watercolours, and in some instances, the Japanesque line of acrylic gouache which mimics textures used in traditional Japanese paints.
The idea behind this series is the focus on both subject and background, where every line is intentional and thought out.
This painting will be sent flat-packed.