Description

An original, handmade print created in my studio in Winchester as a limited addition of 40. Bathed in Venus draws its conceptual foundation from Edward Edinger’s writings on Carl Jung’s alchemical symbolism, particularly the descent of ego into the transformative unconscious. The composition, depicts the ego as a golden circle sinking gently into a dark blue solution, suggesting both dissolution and illumination. The sphere in the upper right, an evocation of Venus, acts as a counterpoint, a celestial observer symbolising the feminine, which presides over the alchemical process.

The print employs multiple impressions to achieve a soft bokashi gradation, allowing the aqueous environment to feel both atmospheric and active. Layers of transparent pigment settle into one another, creating a sense of slow movement around the descending orb. The chosen paper enhances this dynamic: its natural fibers produce a subtle gomazuri texture, introducing a granular, almost breathing surface that reinforces the piece’s metaphor of dissolution.

Executed through traditional Mokuhanga methods—carved woodblocks, water-based pigments, and hand printing with the baren—the work emphasizes the medium’s capacity for nuanced color transitions and tactile surface qualities. The final image sits at the intersection of alchemical symbolism and the contemplative materiality of Mokuhanga, inviting viewers to enter a state of quiet descent and transformation alongside the golden form.