I was given some lovely sheets of washi to try by Eriko Fujita at the Mokuhanga Conference earlier this year, for a project sponsored by the papermaker - Narushima Washi. I thought about what to make for a long time, and eventually decided that a simple flower could be the base for me to try out some new ideas…
I wanted to experiment a bit, and make some work that really highlighted the paper. I like to leave a lot of negative space for the paper to shine. I tested out colours, carved a block, and prepped my paper to print…
I set up my space, and managed to do all the prints in a day. I kept the leaves of my flowers all the same, with a two-colour bokashi, and then experimented with monoprinting techniques for the flowers, so each is unique and has its own special pattern.
I chose the best of the prints, and created a variable edition of 12. I liked the creamy colour of the paper alot, although it took time to get used to the slightly different texture than I’m used to.
The four prints at the top have been sent to Japan, to be shown in an exhibition in November alongside the work by many artists from around the world. I can’t wait to see how it looks!