gyotaku scrolls

sharing some new scrolls I had made up.  the pictures are reproductions of  original hawaiian fish prints made by an artist in honolulu.  for a first effort,  they turned out better than I hoped. the next generation will be even better.  something new.  something different. for bonsai display and wall art.

best wishes,   sam


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Those are pretty cool Sam! I like them and the fact that they represent your locale better than say a koi of another Japanese influenced animal.

always nice to see the efforts to create by others. When I think of hawaii, I think more of turtles as the poster
image for that region. my favorite is the last one in green, tho from a student stand point, it's been so battered
into my mind to keep images simple . More like red 3.

I hesitated to say anything and then changed my mind

isn't the title subject matter "fish printing" made by inking an actual cadaver and then pressing into the paper?

thanks for the comments .

for dick- yes, gyotaku is the technique of creating images of fish and other marine animals by coating the animal with ink, then pressing the object with rice paper to transfer the image. In the case of the group of fish scrolls, schooling is the natural habit of these species in the wild, so showing them in numbers, makes sense. my personal preference, like you, however, is to keep things simple, so my heart lies with the first scroll, whose single image should be centered and scroll #3 of the two hawkfish. the busier scrolls could end up as wall art rather than used for bonsai display. while I am certain I am not the first to join gyotaku with scrolls, in my own experience I had not seen this done-so its kinda been a bump and go experiment. lessons learned will translate to a better second generation.

best wishes, sam

Aloha Sam.. 
Nice scrolls! you really do! "do it island style!"... 
Really Like # 2 & 4 repeated pattern type, remind me of clouds,
cobble roads, stone walls or scales on Asagi Koi.. 

On a snorkeling 1/2 day charter boat trip out to Moloki island.
We saw fish in exactly this way looking up to surface from below the boat,... 
as a pregnant woman threw up her breakfast overboard and fish were eating all the pieces.
we were told on the way out not to panic if we saw sharks! but of course most people did,... 
and rushed back to climb up to the boat, my wife & I, and one other couple stood back motionlessly.
Got some really cool pictures with the water proof cameras rented on boat... 

This scroll rushed back those memories of that special day, we did see the sea turtles on the way back,... 
and were told never to release helium balloons because trade winds took them out, popped and drop into Ocean.
were Sea turtles would eat them get plugged up and then die...
stonener
*Mahalo!*

thanks for the feedback.  I have the scrolls hanging so I see them day and nite. its amazing what a simple change in light does to the appearance. I've been taking notes as things about the scrolls pop into my head. the idea being, the next batch will be better. one of my concerns is the busi-ness of the groups. I'm working with the artist to modify and better position the fish so I can keep the school concept while reducing the clutter and creating a more serene feeling. its all an experiment-learning by trial and error.

best wishes, sam
.

This kind of scroll in a rush back those people memories of these special evening, we did begin to see the sea turtles on how back. And were told not to ever release helium balloons since trade winds took these individuals out popped and drop into Marine.

I like the scrolls. I really like the creative way you are making display of your own location and culture. This is what needs to become more widespread. We all need to make bonsai our own. I like them all, #1 for simplicity, #2 & #4 for visual texture. #2 & #4 are muted enough in intensity, that the pattern become visual texture, a nice soft background, yet it conveys setting.