Japanese contemporary prints

It was an ignorant prejudice to think that prints --generally considered reproductions of artworks--were a less valuable form of art. Fortunately, early this year, an interview with the director of HANGA TEN gallery Hely Norton taught me that this is not always the case. Hely said,
"What happens when the artist, without any help from a print studio, does each single copy of the prints; and what if the original printing materials --the woodblock or the plate-- are destroyed once the edition is completed? Patricia, you know nothing about Japanese contemporary prints."
The full version of what she explained can be read in my article in the March 2008 issue of Artists & Illustrators magazine, but, in a nutlist, this is what I learned:

• These prints are the natural consequence of the Sosaku Hanga movement of the early 20th century --so never confuse them with the well known Ukiyo-e.
• Editions numbers and sizes are rigorously respected --and the most expensive ones can be as few as 6or 7 prints per edition.
• Techniques are diverse --woodblock, etching, silkscreen, lithograph, mixed media.
• Themes are varied too --from figurative to abstract; from traditional to contemporary.
• Price range is enormous --from £30 to £3,000 or even more.

It is impossible to name all the artists that are worth looking at (see the College Women's Association of Japan prints artists list), but here are the names that Hely selected for a novice like me (see images of their works in the Japanese prints slide show):

• Toko SHINODA
• Hideo HAGIWARA
• Katsunori HAMANISHI
• KURODA
• KASAI
• SHIMURA
• TOKITOH

And some non-Japanese who trained in these techniques, like Rebecca SALTER or Daniel KELLY.

Hely said, "At first sight, these prints may seem expensive, but remember that they can take more time to produce than a complex painting."