For years, Kristjana has collected books on Japanese woodcuts and silk printing. Everything about the method and style appeals to Kristjana; the graceful, graphical sensibilities and the little personal features and moods that they evoke. In Kristjana's eyes, no one does landscapes better than the traditional Japanese woodcutters. The intricacy of carving in these old pieces is considered a miracle of sculpture.
In 1853, four American ships steamed into the harbour of Uraga and forced Japan to open up their ancient guarded country to the rigour of international trade with detested foreigners. After an internal struggle, the Japanese felt they had no choice but to adopt western technology in order to compete, so traditional woodcutting and silk printing was replaced by newer western methods.
The Red Butterfly Mountain is part of the Japanese Woodcut Exploration, a series of Kristjana's Japanese landscape studies. To create these stunning pieces of art, Kristjana built a unique collage, combining her reworked Japanese woodcut mountains with traditional Victorian engravings.
This wall art piece forms part of a trio of prints which complement each other when hung together.
This wall art piece is a part of a trio of prints complementing each other when hung together. The other two pieces are The Floral Branch Landscape - Japanese Woodcut Exploration & The Yellow Mountain - Japanese Woodcut Exploration