Doing the Japan installment of the World Inspired Landscapes was extra challenging because not only have I been studying Edo era woodblock landscape prints by the likes of Hiroshige and Hokusai for the past three years, but I also visited Japan back on 2006. I say its challenging since I try to approach each of these designs with some originality and style. Flipping through a travel book on Japan by National Geographic, I saw a picture of a raw tuna fish that was cut in half at a Japanese fish monger and the striations in the meat looked like mount Fuji. I spent some working out how to best paint raw fish, then developed the idea of combining a sushi roll with Hokusai's famous print called Under the Great Wave which depicts a giant wave crashing over several boats with mount Fuji tucked away in the distant horizon. The rice in the sushi roll was modeled after the wave, and the hunk of avocado is shaped like mount Fuji. The sky is adorned with a slab of raw smoked salmon and some chunks of mango. All wrapped in a kelp sheet. As long as the sushi looked good enough to eat, and the scene of the Great Wave did some justice to the original print, I figured what better way to pay tribute to Japan. The Japanese print makers were also very playful with their designs. Hiroshige made a famous print where the viewpoint was low and situated beneath the rear end of the horse for example. Hokusai made a print where mount Fuji was framed by a large circle that was a barrel in construction. So they liked to play visual games with their audience, often including inside jokes.
World Inspired Landscapes: Japan, watercolour 10 x 11" cold press, November 2023 (No. 3824)
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