Edutainment > 36 Views of Green Island (15) - Grass and Banksia

Grass and Banksia
copyright Tom Kristensen, 2005

Tom Kristensen, born 1962, is a young artist from Australia who works in the tradition of Japanese woodblock printmaking. On this page, he writes about his latest print from the series "36 Views of Green Island ".

Here is the original text written by Tom Kristensen. Text and images are copyright protected and may not be used or distributed for other than private use without the prior consignment of the author/artist.

36 Views of Green Island

"These 36 views are presented in the Sosaku Hanga tradition: self-carved and hand printed, using Japanese tools, Japanese mulberry washi and traditional pigment colours. Each print is made from 4 to 6 blocks and printed in an edition of 25 copies."

Grass and Banksia - No. 15

"Australia is the driest continent. Winter is mild and summer is hot. The wildflowers bloom year round but the most spectacular display comes before the spring. Colourful small flowers are sprinkled over the ground and in the low woody shrubs. Flowers in the trees are important food for nectar feeding birds, but are barely noticeable from the ground."

"In this print I have used the colour pink commonly used in Japanese woodblocks to illustrate the springtime cherry blossom. The blanket of soft plumed grasses is compared to fallen cherry petals. For the first time in this series I have used a solid cherry wood plank to carve the fine detail of the black block. Cherry timber is revered in Japan and used in different traditional woodwork. It has a fine dense grain that is easy to carve. Cherry is the timber most commonly used in Japanese printmaking."

"In Feudal times the Shogun would have the cherry orchard protected inside a walled compound. Cherry season remains a time of great significance in Japan. Large crowds gather to picnic and view the ancient trees, with heavy boughs propped up, showering a gentle rain of pink petals. The transience of beauty is a symbol for the passing of life. In Japanese prints cherry blossom is used to denote the season of spring. Young men are seen tearing cherry branches from the trees as they grasp the opportunities of youth."

"A sprig of cherry or plum is often found in scenes from inside the Yoshiwara district, where prostitutes lived. In prints illustrating the Kabuki theatre the spirit of the cherry tree is seen confronted by the axe. There is a bittersweet sadness in the beauty of the pretty pink petals."

Tom Kristensen
June 2005

Video Presentation of Tom Kristensen

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We produced a video with a short presentation of Tom Kristensen. Please click on the image or on the link to go to the video page.

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