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Tom Kristensen

Wind and Rain, 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."

Wind and Rain - No. 23

There is plenty of wet weather on the south coast of New South Wales. Clouds rise from the warm waters of the Tasman Sea and the rain blows onto the land. On an average day there is a 90% chance that the wind will be blowing over Green Island, and one day in three will bring some rain. In the morning there is usually a light onshore breeze blowing, but by the afternoon the wind will grow and swing offshore. When the wind is heavy the waves become too choppy for surfing, but the wind is good for other sports.

At low tide the wet sandflats are ideal for sailing in three-wheeled buggies known as Blokarts. It is an ill wind that blows nobody any good, and the proverb holds true not only for surfers and sailors, but also for fishermen and farmers. Local weather patterns are influenced by remote shifts in air pressure across the Asian and east Pacific regions. The Southern Oscillation Index that measures these changes is a good predictor of annual rainfall. The value of the index relates to the circulation of currents in the Pacific Ocean. When the index is negative the warm water of the northern tropics moves to the east and the equatorial trade winds die.

The appearance of El Ni–o off the coast of Peru puts an end to the cool currents that normally well up from the deep ocean. Since these currents provide the nutrients that sustain the anchovy fisheries the change brings an end to the fishing.

On the other side of the Pacific Ocean the Australian farmers will endure widespread drought. The ill winds of an El Ni–o period may last for years before the tropical currents swing back to the west and the index climbs up again. The peak of the index signals the new La Ni–a weather pattern and the arrival of torrential rains that will flood the outback plains.

Tom Kristensen
March 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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