Kumi Obata

 Kumi Obata, The Other Side of the Paddle  水たまりの向こう側. Intaglio, monotype.

Davidson Galleries is pleased to share a new collection of miniature intaglio prints from Japanese artist, Kumi Obata. In her latest works, she has built gentle, poetic worlds filled with celestial bodies, birds, aquatic life, and plants that illustrate complex ideas of time and nature. Obata utilizes doodle-like line work and soft color accents to make even heavy subject matter feel approachable and personal.

Kumi Obata, Trajectory of A Shooting Star  流れ星の行方. Intaglio, monotype.

Obata begins each piece by responding to an existing scratch or stain on her copper plate with a mark of her own. Only after she makes her first mark in the plate and carefully pulls the imagery forward, line-by-line, is she able to recognize and label what feelings and thoughts have created the final image. Each etching is a small, distilled moment for Obata. This latest body of work is a shared experience between the artist and viewer as we process who we are at home, under the night sky, or in the future.

Kumi Obata, Sky, Wind and Whistle  空と風と口笛. Intaglio, monotype.