How Tsukimi Shed New Light on My Reeds & Moon Print
Gazing at the moon
We're just back from our holiday on the island of Uist, and whilst we were away we watched the moon as it was rising one night. It looked huge, with a lovely warm golden glow, and even though it was past being full by a few days, it was still a beautiful and impressive sight (my photo certainly doesn't do it justice!)
Japan's moon viewing tradition
I've known for some time that Japan's culture is especially sensitive to the changing of the seasons, but it's only recently that I've been learning more about the autumnal custom of moon viewing, called tsukimi. It involves pausing to appreciate the moon - particularly the full harvest moon. The celebration also traditionally includes eating round rice dumplings (that represent the moon) and using susuki pampas grass as a decoration (to symbolise ears of rice, in the hope of a bountiful crop).
Old print, new meaning
The reason I’m intrigued by all this now is that I didn’t know about tsukimi when I first made my Reeds Under a Full Moon woodblock print several years ago, and yet it’s made me look at the design in a whole new way.
Swaying grasses, full moon, a moment of stillness – all are elements of tsukimi, and I didn’t even know it.
Crafting the original print
The fact that it’s a woodblock print made using traditional Japanese techniques makes the connection to tsukimi even stronger. I carved into blocks of cherry wood using Japanese tools, inked those blocks by hand with brushes using pigment powders and rice paste, printed on soft, fluffy Japanese paper using a baren, and used many layers of gradations to achieve increasing depth of colour.
Although it took many layers of printing, I carved only two blocks - it’s a simple, balanced composition that reflects the style of Japanese art that I love – subtle, gentle, considered.
Helping the design live on
The finished print (like the moon itself) doesn’t ask anything of you – just to gaze at it and perhaps find a minute or two of peace within the scene.
The original woodblock print edition was very popular and sold out long ago, but I’ve developed a fine art reproduction version of the design so that the calming, restful effects of the piece can keep finding new homes.
It’s very important to me that any reproduction of my work faithfully captures the essence of the original it came from. That’s why my fine art prints are professionally produced using pigment inks on Hahnemühle Bamboo paper. I’m particularly pleased with how the surface texture and subtle depth of the original are evident in the Reeds and Moon reproduction (as seen in the above video). The made to order version of this design is available in a choice of sizes and frames.
I also keep a number of this design on hand in the studio that are ready mounted to fit a 10" x 14" frame size.
It's this studio mounted version of the print that I've decided to include as a complimentary gift for qualifying orders during for the month of October – it seemed a fitting choice for the season.
With this print, there's no need to wait for autumn to enjoy a little moon viewing. Reeds Under a Full Moon can bring that feeling at any time of year – a gentle reminder to pause for a quiet moment, and appreciate the beauty of the world around us.