Exhibition “Life is a Journey”

Yoshikatsu Tamekane was born in the Osaka area, and graduated from the Sokei Academy of Fine Arts in Tokyo. Going yet farther afield, he studied and lived in France from 1991 to 1994, perfecting printmaking skills. Tamekane now makes his home in Kanagawa.

The artist is known for adding rich textural effects to his woodblock prints. That is achieved with collagraph. Different materials are collaged onto the raised surface of a block. Mr. Tamekane uses such things as string, resinous gum and paper. This raised surface can then be inked and printed as a relief block, or the crevices between the raised areas can be inked and printed as an intaglio, or Tamekane may even choose to do embossing without ink. An etching press applies the necessary pressure. Metallic leaf and printing on the backside of the paper are other techniques used to create these dynamic images.

The themes of Tamekane’s woodblocks explore both Time and Space. He says he savors the past and also looks forward to the future as a time of hope and advancement for the human spirit. His titles reflect this philosophy–Far Days, From a Memory, White Dream, A Long, Long Trip and A Remembrance. There may be landscapes, and such diverse elements as distant moons or planets, a musical clef, sweeping brush strokes, or even a shadowy horizon beset with the rich texture of silver leaf. But in each the artist successfully draws in the viewer–with composition, texture, color and dimensionality all combining to create a vision of haunting beauty.