Monarch Butterflies, by Yoshiko Yamamoto. Designed, carved, and hand-printed by Yoshiko Yamamoto with the help of Anna Victoria Yamamoto. Signed limited edition of 200. Sold framed only.
Matt: Fango 100% rag. Margins 2.75" top & bottom, 2" sides. Acid-free foam-core backing. Glazed with UV filtering acrylic. (Optional Optium Museum® acrylic upgrade.) Walnut Hardwood frame: Outside dimension ~ 16.25 × 29" Includes inner wood support frame, & hanging hardware.
Yoshiko Yamamoto became an established Arts & Crafts style letterpress printmaker in the early 2000s. A few years ago she sold her collection of mechanical letterpresses and moved with her family to Kamakura, Japan, so she could immerse herself in more traditional, hands-on, and organic block-printing techniques.
Today Yoshiko makes prints using only water-based ink and baren (a burnishing tool used to transfer the carved image that was inked and then pressed onto the paper). She prints on handmade "Kozo" mulberry paper from Echizen. The paper has amazing durability and an elegant soft surface sheen due to the long, supple, Kozo fibers.
Although she now works from her small studio in Kamakura, she often remembers the colorful monarchs butterflies of Southern California. Symbolizing hope, change, and a positive future, Yoshiko has crafted this beautiful print as wish for us all.