PINE ISLAND
ACRYLICS ON CEDAR W/RED OAK FRAME
WINTER 2020
ACRYLICS ON CEDAR W/RED OAK FRAME
WINTER 2020
One of the reasons that I love painting on cedar is that the wood’s grain always adds an enormous amount of interest for me. I try to select boards that have character, and the grain is typically at the forefront of that. I recently cut some cedar, leaving a small end left to play with. Upon inspection, the grain of that remnant piece just spoke to me, suggesting an island in the sea. Thus, I did something I have always wanted to do, just add paint according to the grain. The resultant is Pine Island. Matsushima Bay in Japan has for a very long time been a favorite subject for painters and printmakers (Matsushima means Pine Island). Personal favorites include painted screens by Rinpa artist Tarawaya Sotatsu and a woodblock print in our collection by contemporary artist Yoshiko Yamamoto. For this painting, I also was inspired by the ink painting of Sesshu, and his View of Ama-no-Hashidate was particularly helpful in painting my pine trees (both Matsushima and Ama-no-Hashidate are two of the “three most beautiful scenic places” celebrated during the Edo Period). I made the frame out of red oak using pegged, hand-joined, mortise-and-tenon construction methods. I used the Japanese technique (shou-sugi-ban) of charring and oiling the oak to finish the frame.
DIMENSIONS: HEIGHT: 10 3/4 inches
WIDTH: 17 1/4 inches
PRICE $280
DIMENSIONS: HEIGHT: 10 3/4 inches
WIDTH: 17 1/4 inches
PRICE $280
Tawaraya Sotatsu Waves at Matsushima
Yoshiko Yamamoto Matsushima Bay
|
Sesshu View of Ama-no-Hashidate
|