PLUM & FULL MOON IN SPRING
ACRYLICS ON CEDAR W/RED OAK FRAME
SUMMER 2019

     For centuries, the Japanese fan has provided a “canvas” for many exceptional artists, from Sotatsu to Hokusai.  Recently I was introduced to a series of woodblock prints showing fan designs from Ogata Korin and other Rinpa artists and they inspired me to begin a series of small paintings based on the Japanese fan. I have chosen to use textile designs as the background for the fans.  This is my first painting of the series and includes design elements representing early spring as the plum blossoms begin to open.  As it is night and under the diffused light of a full moon, the plum blossoms have taken on a totally different, other-worldly hue.  The simplicity of the painted fan is made to counterbalance the complexity of the textile-based background.  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 ¼ inches
                                    WIDTH:  18 inches

                                                    SOLD