Owl on ginkgo branch (Scops owl under crescent moon) 1915

Ohara Koson made this piece, "Owl on ginkgo branch," using woodblock printing, a technique I think about all the time in relation to painting, since it’s all about layering and registration, about how things line up, or don’t. Look at the grey wash of the background. That shade must have been one of the first blocks printed. I imagine Koson deciding on that tone, a real Goldilocks moment, getting it just right. The ginkgo leaves are these beautiful buttery yellow commas, scattered around the branches. They almost look like the owl's thoughts, floating there in the night. And the owl itself! Those feathers are amazing. Each line feels considered, capturing the bird's alertness. I wonder if Koson watched owls, trying to understand how they hold themselves. Maybe it was like a conversation, a silent exchange of ideas. Artists do that, you know? We look and learn from each other, across time, borrowing and building, until something new emerges.