Sumi Hanten Hen

Sumi Hanten Hen


In 2017, I was asked to view Boston’s MFA exhibit, “Showdown: Kuniyoshi vs Kunisada”, create a work inspired by seeing the show, and then do a demonstration of my process at the Museum.  The result was a triptych of three guinea hens,  the main influence being from Kunisada’s work, “Fashionable Firefly-Hunting”.

“Sumi Hanten Hen” was made during the summer of 2021 from the blocks of “Hanten Hens’. (Hanten is a short, casual jacket.) . The “hen” prints of 2017 were made for demonstrations, with the intent to print the edition later. Four years passed. I decided to feature sumi, a rich, black ink made from soot and animal glue, and printed the editions with a completely new color palette.

“Sumi Hanten Hen” was exhibited at “Sumi-Fusion” 2021 International Mokuhanga Conference Juried Exhibition, Nara, Japan.

Paper: Yamaki Hosho
Blocks: Seven blocks of Shina Plywood
Ink: Powdered Pigment and Sumi Ink
Actual Size: 10″ x 16″, Edition of 20, 2021