Artist's Statement
While living in Kyoto, I trained for ten years
in the traditional Japanese woodblock printing style, known as Ukiyo-e. The
technical foundation for my artwork is rooted in that training, accompanied by
techniques of contemporary Western printmaking. Yet, the imagery itself is very
different from historical Ukiyo-e.
The process of printmaking is appealing to me
because of its inherent surprises. Until I peel away the paper from the woodblock,
I really don't know what the image will look like. There is always a negotiation
going on with the material. Each piece of wood brings its own character to which
I must adjust each time. I may decide to change the image in order to preserve
what the block is offering me.
For me, the story behind the work is very important;
there is a sense of narrative that is very private. The feelings and emotions
that I convey through these abstract landscapes matter most to me. Almost always
my images are of nature, but it is the essence of the landscape that I want to
express, not realistic accuracy.
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Ensemble, Keiji Shinohara, 2003
Photograph by Mike Mosall
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