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Wild Plum Rendezvous

#253 - 1994

Celadon

2.4 dia. x 1.4 ht. inches

This little carved piece was made after someone suggested that I make manju style netsuke. Back then, I could not find illustrations of manju in side-view, so I made a few "manju" like fat little pots, not like the flatter forms as most manju are typically shaped.

The subjects are intricately interwoven all around the surface.  A combination of negative and positive relief, and areas where one overlaps the other create a greater feeling of depth to aid the imagination as when peering into the branches of a wild plum tree. 

The tree frogs emerge slightly from the shallow relief carving.  This is an example of the tendency I had at that time to carve in more sculptural expressions.

There is much to look at with this little piece.  There is even a moth in the glaze of the little button that serves as a cord attachment point.

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