Description

Winchester Geese #2 is a handmade Mokuhanga print created in my studio in Winchester, part of the same limited edition series as Winchester Geese #1. Using the same careful process of water-based pigments, layered subtly for gentle colour mixing, the work explores abstraction while drawing on the memory of walking along the River Itchen around Winchester.

This piece is landscape in orientation, offering a more fluid sense of movement that evokes the experience of walking along the river. The layered colours form different perspectives of the journey from memory, creating depth and a sense of unfolding time. Sumi-e black lines are delicately incorporated to either trace the walk or unify the composition, while the layering of colour is intentionally soft, reflecting my background in Art Therapy to create a visually soothing piece suitable for home, office, or therapeutic spaces.

The print was created using three carved woodblocks, employing reduction printing mid-process to achieve two distinct depths of hirazumi or flat colour, and a controled use of the baren to create mokume-zuri, which reveals the woodgrain from the woodblock. The time-sensitive nature of Mokuhanga means that the complete printing process is achieved in just three days, preserving the immediacy, spontaneity and originality of the work.