Paul Furneaux

Artist Biography

Paul Furneaux is an Edinburgh-based artist, born Ellon, Scotland 1962. For the last decade and more, he has been exploring traditional Japanese woodblock printing techniques. This inherently beautiful and simple process has allowed my work to develop in a contemplative and semi-abstract way.

Paul Furneaux writing about Sumi Wave

Using traditional Japanese woodcut techniques of printing with watercolour. The final manifestation is an abstraction and distillation of this contemplation of the landscape, blending the physical reality with the implied

This is a large-scale print for this traditional Japanese technique of printing with watercolour from cut wood. Built up in layers, the blocks are printed by hand with the aid of a hand disc called a Baren.This is an ancient form of printing brought to a high level of sophistication in Japan where I completed a Masters

The imagery refers in part to the tragic tsunami experienced in Japan. Sumi is generally black ink, which I have used to describe “the wave”

However I have focused more on recovery than disaster. Suggested by the leaf green in the top left and other jewel like colours.

More information on Paul and his work can be seen on his wonderful website http://www.paulfurneaux.com/about

Selected Exhibitions