Kingfisher on tree stump 1900 - 1936

Ohara Koson made this print of a kingfisher on a tree stump. It's difficult to know what it might have been like making an image like this, but I imagine the artist had to be really patient, to get so close to the kingfisher. I can imagine Koson going to the same place every day, making studies of this bird from different angles, patiently observing its movements and the subtle changes in the light reflecting off its feathers. I can almost see Koson carefully carving the woodblock, trying to capture the essence of the kingfisher's gaze as it peers down at the water below. The muted tones of the water contrast with the kingfisher’s alert pose, its eye leading down to a possible meal below. He seems poised, ready to swoop. It reminds me a little of some of the work of Japanese printmaker Hokusai, particularly his attention to detail. Artists are in an ongoing conversation across time, riffing off one another's ideas!