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Edutainment > Articles on Art > Australian Artists >   <  36 Views of Green Island (24) - Rocks and Crab

Tom Kristensen

Rocks and Crab, 2007
copyright Tom Kristensen

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."

Rocks and Crab - No. 24

At nightfall the Variegated Shore Crabs, Leptograpus variegatus, leave the shelter of the crevices where they hide during the day. The crabs are opportunistic feeders and gather food day and night from in and out of the water around the rocky shore.

These amphibious creatures are only able to venture onto land by protecting their delicate gills under the carapace inside a gill chamber kept moist with seawater. On dry land they are in danger of desiccation and of being eaten by sea gulls. During the day they make quick sorties and scurry away when sensing danger, but at night they move freely over the algae covered rocks, grazing the greenery and scavenging for meaty morsels left by the falling tide. The Shore crabs are tenacious explorers able to cling to the rock face when battered by the heaviest of waves. Between waves they have a sure footing as they scuttle sideways.

The crab is a decapod having five sets of legs adapted for different purposes. Up front are the massive claws, but at the rear the primary leg segments are flattened to aid in swimming. Other legs are variously suited to running, digging and grappling. The powerful claws make excellent eating implements allowing them to tear food apart and eat it with delicacy. The claws are also effective weapons, and may be raised in defence against predators, but they are more often used against rival crabs. If a claw is lost from injury, a new one will grow from the stub and it is not uncommon to see a crab with a mismatched pair of claws. The striking purple coloured claws are also used in courtship display and the male has the larger and brighter set of claws compared to the female.

Tom Kristensen
May 2007

More about Tom Kristensen

The artist was first discovered by Eric van den Ing, co-author of a classic ukiyo-e book "Beauty and Violence" and owner of Saru Gallery. After Eric van den Ing had placed Tom's woodblock prints on his online gallery, a few days later a collector had bought the whole set. Mr. van den Ing seems to have a "magic hand" for new artists. He was the first to introduce Paul Binnie in 2000 to a larger online community of friends of Japanese prints.

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