<b>SPRING</b> / Paul Binnie2003<b>SOLD</b></em>

Details

Paul Binnie (born 1967) is a Scottish artist who studied at Edinburgh University and College of Art from 1985 to 1990. Afterward, he lived in Paris until 1993, when he traveled to Tokyo and met the contemporary woodblock printmaker Kenji Seki, from whom he learned much about the techniques of printmaking. Binnie uses 20 or more blocks for some designs, cherry for the keyblock and magnolia for the color blocks. His pigments also are those used for Nihonga (Japanese-style painting) except for bero-ai (Berlin blue or Prussian blue). He prefers torinoko kôzo and nishinouchi washi for his papers. He typically begins printing an edition with about 30 to 40 prints and then finishes the edition on demand. Upon finishing, he destroys the blocks.

Binnie, who has an interest in Ukiyo-e and Shin Hanga, has designed Japanese prints in several genres, blending traditional methods with an individual modern-day style.  

Spring is part of Binnie’s initial foray into the bijin-ga genre. The print is part of a series representing the four seasons. The set was commissioned by Barry Stokes and Bruce Tierney. The four designs were produced utilizing live models. Binnie had not previously worked with female models and had actually avoided the bijin-ga genre altogether until this commission was requested. The four designs were produced with the highest quality pigments and deluxe printing techniques making the set one of the most luxurious contemporary bijin-ga produced to date.

Connoisseur's Note

Spring was produced in an edition of 100 impressions. This design features gold and silver metallic pigments and a strong wood grain pattern visible in the background. Spring is one of the artist’s most successful bijin-ga within this growing body of work.