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An illustration of a landscape under a deep red sky. A range of golden mountains sits behind a dark line of pine trees, overlooking a pink lake and a row of bare, black branches in the foreground.

Immerse yourself in Keiji Shinohara's beautifully woodblock printed (yes!) landscapes

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Date
5 July 2012

Immerse yourself in Keiji Shinohara’s work and breathe in the calm, beautifully rendered views. The printmaking artist is originally from Osaka, and trained for ten years in the traditional Ukiyo-e style of printmaking in Kyoto before moving to the United States – where he is currently based. The mesmerising colourisation, precise compositions, and beautifully measured textures and gradations are all the more startling when we realise that Shinohara works primarily with woodblocks and is fully responsible for every stage of the printing process. The abstracted landscapes convey his keen interest in the natural environment, and are printed on handmade kozo paper with water-based inks. Very impressive indeed.

A painting of shimmering water reflecting a sunset. Ripples of orange and gold light dance across a surface of deep blue and violet.
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Keiji Shinohara: Arioso, 2006. Woodblock.

An illustration of red, orange and yellow autumn leaves falling against a textured green and purple background. A dense cluster of leaves hangs from the top edge, with individual leaves drifting downwards.
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Keiji Shinohara: Autumn, 1995. Color woodcut from 6 blocks with hand-painting. Edition 2

A painting of a landscape divided into three horizontal bands. A dark black sky hangs over glowing orange mountains and a pale blue body of water.
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Keiji Shinohara: Sound of Loneliness, 2001. Monoprint with woodcut and hand-painting. Edition 1

A painting of a calm, green body of water under a thick layer of white mist. Above the fog, the tops of autumn trees in shades of orange and red emerge against a grey sky.
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Keiji Shinohara: pp, 2004. Color woodcut 11 × 17 in. Edition 30

An abstract painting featuring a wide, textured band of white and pale beige across the top. Below, a dark, rugged strip of grey, brown and green suggests a rocky landscape or shoreline.
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Keiji Shinohara: Zen, 2000. Monoprint with woodcut, mounted silver leaf, and hand-painting.

An abstract painting of a blue and yellow landscape. A dark red rectangular block sits in the top right corner above a silhouette of distant mountains.
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Keiji Shinohara: Opus 5, 2007. Monotype. Edition 1

An abstract painting of a landscape divided into three horizontal bands. A textured yellow foreground sits below a dark green ridge, topped by a vibrant red sky with jagged grey and black shapes.
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Keiji Shinohara: Sonata, 2005. Color woodcut 11 × 15 in Edition 20.

An abstract painting with a textured, grainy surface in shades of blue and deep red. Two rectangular shapes are layered on top: a grey square on the left and a dark red rectangle on the right featuring a white silhouette of a leafless tree.
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Keiji Shinohara: Opus 7, 2007. Monotype with mounted platinum leaf and hand-painting. Edition 1

An illustration of a still lake reflecting a bright blue patch of sky. In the distance, a range of red mountains sits beneath a deep blue gradient sky. Bare, dark tree branches frame the bottom of the scene.
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Keiji Shinohara: Symphony, 2002. ed 50. woodblock print

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Catherine Gaffney

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