Background
Karyn Young (b. Montreal, 1955) started as a textile artist in the U.S. before moving to Japan in 1980. In her 12 years there she immersed herself in kasuri weaving, kimono stencil dyeing (Okinawa style), and calligraphy, aspects of each discipline influencing her highly recognizable works executed in a variety of genres. (Her first show of fabric and calligraphic collages sold out and her very first print, "Kimono Sunrise," was purchased by the British Museum (1990,0606,0.1)).
Despite such success, Young stopped producing art when she left Japan (and her sources of inspiration) in 1992, and thus her individualistic prints from the late 1980s, like this one, are rarely available in the market.
Design
Young's inventive silkscreen incorporates calligraphy (kanji with furigana, inspired by a sushi shop menu board) and seven images of a single fish, either in red or in white outline.
References:
- Franco, Betsy and Verne, Michael, Quiet Elegance: Japan Through the Eyes of Nine American Artists. Rutland, VT: Charles Tuttle Co, 1997, 15-27 (N.B., p. 22).
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