This collection was inspired by a study on Japanese art my children and I did during the summer of 2025. We learned the art of origami, studied symbolism in Japanese art and culture, created pumpkins inspired by Yayoi Kusama, and lastly, studied the Mt. Fuji paintings of the Japanese artist, Hokusai. His most famous work, “The Great Wave Of Kanagawa,” was a woodblock print, and inspired the use of the linocut to make the backgrounds of these pieces. I also combined two of my greatest loves—learning about other cultures and birds—to make this series.

The seabirds are representative of the native species one can find in the beautiful Lowcountry of Charleston, South Carolina. Each bird has been drawn in ink and superimposed on a hand carved stamp background. The featured seabirds include the Great Blue Heron, the Sandpiper, the Woodstork, and the Belted Kingfisher. The background patterns are inspired by a technique from Mali, Africa called mud cloth. Mud cloth (or Bògòlanfini) is a made by dyeing and painting cloth with fermented mud. Each fabric’s patterns are unique and symbolic to the culture with no two pieces of fabric being exactly the same. After our study on Japan, I wanted to celebrate the art and techniques of another people’s culture as well as a piece of my own. I find the boldness of the black and white pattern contrasted with the delicate detail of the seabirds create a beautiful and interesting juxtaposition of cultures and creatures from around the world.