What's that Red Square Thing?

You may have noticed that I have a few red or a gold stamp on my print work. Each character has a particular meaning, but these are called artist chop or hanko, to mark your artwork to say it is done by the artist. 

My first and favorite one that I like using is a kanji character for kizuna or 絆, which means deep connection or bond between people. The word is typically used in the context between humans, but I believe it can be used for strong connections we have with something. I could have just turned my name into a hanko, but I wanted to choose a word that means a lot to me. To me the word conveys a symbol and a reminder of my hope to help all of us realize the strong bond we have with the ocean (and nature) through my art.

Traditionally hankos are carved out of a stone, but these days you can get them made out of plastic or other types of modern material like rubber. The modern materials are fine but I feel like it lacks soul since they are machine made. Mine was carved by a hanko maker in Tokyo on a stone. I really love the heavy weight of it every time I use it.

We need to explore more deeply what our bond with nature means and our responsibility to our shared home. I feel a strong pull by the ocean and I hope to inspire you to shift the way you look at it in a way that celebrates the beauty and interdependence of it all. 

The overall hope of what my art highlights is to tell stories from the ocean, (or other bodies of water). Let’s not just leave the ocean a mysterious and unknown blob, or a place you just visit on your vacation. I hope to make the ocean more familiar to you and help you learn some names of creatures and fun facts, so that your next trip to the sea becomes an eye opening experience.