Seiichi Hiroshima, Sacred Mountains 1
Recommended by Paige (Collections Manager):
"I am deeply compelled by the simple, quiet forms of this piece that allow you to focus on the light barely glowing over the ridge. It's a perfect distant glow that I want to move toward or at least lock my eyes on. I'm reminded of the peace I feel in nature and wide open spaces. The unique texture of the surface is captivating and suits the image perfectly."
Gordon Mortensen, Desert
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."
Jaques Callot, La Foire à Impruneta
Recommended by Sam (Gallery Owner & Director):
"Callot's rendering of this annual fair near Florence is a masterpiece. It employs two major contributions the artist made to printmaking. His introductory use of lute varnish for the protective coating (ground) put on the copper plate before the image mark making. This material allowed more fine detail and less fowl bite (unintended marks on the plate surface) due to this secure and uniform plate coating. The artist selectively exposes the plate surface, prior to its submersion in the acid bath for the acid to selectively act on the copper to generate the lines destined to make up the image. The clean and delicate lines made possible with his discovery, combined with his unique, simplified, gestural drawing technique, allowed for the complexity of this amazing image."
Tomiyuki Sakuta, John 助運
Recommended by Suzannah (Marketing and Communications Manager):
"Tomiyuki Sakuta’s haunting and dreamlike prints consistently 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."