Moku Hanga Japanese water-based technique woodblock print.Blocks(2): cherry
Blind Embossing Block: All shina plywood.
Ink: red and black water-based.
Paper: Japanese Shin-Torinoko White
On the cicada's wings: Hand-brushed fine glitter suspended in methyl cellulose.
Year produced: 2004.
Haiku carved into design:
Ancient love song
echos from tree to tree
seventeenth May
b'oki.
Artist's statement: A cicada sitting on a branch of hemlock, inside an "enso" (a Zen symbol) - "A circle like vast space, lacking nothing, and nothing in excess." The cicada is singing its song, into the cosmos, the Great Universe, the enlightened mind.
I was the coordinator for BarenForum.org exchange #21 with the theme of "Surimono". Suri is the Japanese word for printed and mono means thing - surimono, the printed thing. Surimono were often produced as real deluxe Japanese prints - with an abundant use of lavish gold and silver pigments, elaborate embossing and more such luxury features. And only the best papers were used.
