‘The Great Wave Off Kanagawa’ was originally a woodblock print made by the important Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai during the Edo period of Japan around 1831. This is a snapshot of that image only put back onto wood. The Japanese writing in the top corner mirrors the original and reads ‘On the high seas in Kanagawa’. The waves, boats and mountain have been elevated from the background.

Made entirely from wood the piece, to me, is all about the strength of creative inspiration. Here is this image from the 19th century still proving to be one of the most adored images of all time as it continues to inspire artists so many years later on. It was of great importance to retain the wooden element of the piece using only the neutral colours of trees like ash, oak and cedar, not only to provide a sense of nature but to take us back to that period in history where wood played a vital role not only in the visibility of artistry but through-out the entire culture from clothing to transportation to architecture.

This is a gravitational wooden panel where the heavy, ebonised, wooden frame draws the eye into the seascape with its own story to tell.