The Sea 1937

Koshiro Onchi made this gorgeous print, The Sea, using the woodblock technique. Imagine Onchi, carefully carving into the wood, then layering colours – muted blues and tans – to evoke the feeling of a shoreline. I bet he was thinking about the way light hits wet sand, the textures of shells, the stillness of water at low tide, and wanting to capture the sensory experiences of the sea. I love the way he’s arranged these found objects – shells, starfish, urchins – almost like actors on a stage. There’s a dreamlike quality to it. You know, there are so many ways to evoke space and depth and the emotional qualities of colour, line, and form. I think of other painters, like Marsden Hartley, who created these powerful, intimate landscapes, all full of feeling. Isn’t it amazing how artists, across time and place, are always in conversation with one another, inspiring and pushing each other to see the world in new ways?