Twelve-sided Makie Box "Soaring Aurora"

About the Artwork

The beginning of this piece was the image of an aurora painting the sky.
I tried to express an "aurora breakup" where the aurora shines and moves as if it exploded.
I drew trees lit up by the aurora on the sides.
I did not prepare a detailed design beforehand and created this piece spontaneously to express the realistic sensations.

"Soaring" has a meaning of gods and spirits flying in the sky.
There is a saying among the original inhabitants of North America that people can talk to the dead at a night when there is an aurora in the sky.

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Description

• Category
  Lacquerware
• Materials
  Pigments, Silver, Dry lacquer (partially wood based)
• Dimensions
  H 12.2 x W 27.2 x D 27.2 cm
• Year of creation
  2022
• Rarity
  Unique
• Paulownia Box
  Included
• Artist Signature
  Signed (name of artwork, paulownia box)

Techniques Used

Dry lacquer

For works of dry lacquer (kanshitsu), first a clay form is created and plaster is used to take a mold of the form. Next, repeated layers of hemp cloth and lacquer are applied to the mold until they are built up to the desired thickness. Finally, the mold is removed and additional coats of lacquer are applied to finish the piece. The hemp fibers are strengthened when the lacquer bonds with them, making dry lacquer an excellent technique for creating sturdy forms with a significant degree of freedom.

Urushi-e

Urushi-e (“lacquer pictures”) is a decorative technique that consists of motifs painted in colored lacquer. Urushi-e is the oldest and most fundamental decorative lacquer technique.

Maki-e

Maki-e (literally “sprinkled pictures”) is a representative lacquerware technique that originated in Japan around 1,200 years ago. Maki-e is done by painting lacquer motifs on the surface of a piece using a fine brush and then sprinkling gold powder onto the lacquer before it hardens, producing luxurious decorations.

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Selected exhibitions

• The 39th Lacquerware Traditional Kōgei Exhibition (2022)
• Selected