Tray c. 1925 - 1935

Okumura Kajo made this tray, but the date is unknown. I wonder what it might have been used for… flowers? Anyway, there’s something about the muted, dark palette that draws me in, and makes me think about the quiet focus it must have taken to create this piece. It’s like watching a dance, with each petal and curve responding to the last, building this intricate network of images, layer upon layer. I wonder, did Okumura Kajo work from sketches, or did he allow the image to emerge organically as the piece progressed? You know, the physicality of making something always gets me going, so I really feel for the artist when I see all this detail! Thinking about the hours spent bent over this circular form, patiently adding each line, each tiny detail. The subtle variations in tone and texture also give the tray a sense of depth, as the darker areas recede and the lighter ones come forward. I see echoes of art nouveau in the stylized floral motifs, but also something very personal in the way they are arranged. Artists have been riffing off each other for centuries, so I’m sure Okumura Kajo would have enjoyed seeing his work in conversation with other pieces.