Deep Kyoto: Walks ~ Meet the Artists

As the release of our ebook, Deep Kyoto: Walks rapidly approaches I would like to introduce the two artists who have kindly taken part in this exciting collaboration.

The beautiful cover art for our book is from Sarah Brayer’s painting Blue Kyoto. Sarah Brayer is known internationally for her poured washi paperworks and aquatint prints. In 2013 Japan’s Ministry of Culture awarded her the Commisioner’s Award ( Bunkasho Chokan) for her original creations in Japanese washi. Drawn to Japanese art through raku-style ceramics and the aquatints of Mary Cassatt, Sarah came to Japan with a backpack in hand in 1979. In 1986 she opened her own print studio in an old kimono weaving factory in Kyoto. Brayer first encountered poured washi — the technique she soon adopted — during a visit to New York in 1986. This somewhat unpredictable, technique seemed a perfect blend of chance and design, leading her to the ancient Japanese paper center of Echizen to experiment with large-scale poured-paper images. In 1992, she was the first artist ever invited to exhibit at Byodoin Temple, a World Heritage site as part of Kyoto’s 1200-year celebration. Residing in Kyoto since 1980, Sarah divides her working time among Kyoto, Echizen, and New York City. Her art is in the collections of the British Museum, the Sackler Gallery of the Smithsonian, and the American Embassy, Tokyo.

Within the book we also have a specially commissioned wood block print of Mt. Daimonji in flames, by Richard Keith Steiner. The piece is entitled Abiding. “Richard Keith Steiner was born just before the war. Choose any war you like. This happy event occurred in The States. His early education was noted for its commonness. University was quite different, and deserves its own interpretation elsewhere. After an anonymous career as a fashion photographer in NYC failed, he changed his name to what it is today and fled to Japan in 1970. Disguised as an english teacher in Hiroshima, he met the well-known print teacher, Masahiko Tokumitsu and began studying woodblock printmaking. After a 10-year period, he received his teacher’s license and his artist’s name TOSAI. He had moved to Kyoto in the meantime, where he set up his workshop/studio/school and has been teaching mokuhanga ever since. His homepage is: www.richard-steiner.net. His wife is the art and meditation translator, Kimiko Steiner.”

To learn more about these artists please visit their websites:
http://sarahbrayer.com/
http://www.richard-steiner.net/
See also my article: Capturing Light: The Art of Sarah Brayer