This block print came together very organically. My friend J.P. Olsen is a super skilled artist and printmaker who left me a box of goodies on my doorstep. His annual trip to the North Shore had come to an end and packing art supplies home was not in the cards. When I saw there was a beautiful new block to carve I knew exactly what to make. 

Recently I have been doing a few wave studies, probably because my studio is on the beach and looks out to the famous Banzai Pipeline. Surfing daily, it’s hard not to get inspired by the majestic waves and convert the powerful energy onto my art. 

When I studied art history in school one of my favorite classes was Japanese art for their simplicity and story telling. “The Great Wave” is one of the most recognizable block prints in the world and was made by the Japanese ukiyo-e artist Hokusai. The huge wave breaking over a small fishing boats was created in 1829 -1833 of what is now today Yokohama. Mount Fuji appears in the background and in all the other prints Hokusai made of this series. I really wanted to create a new wave piece that captured the Asian feeling while giving it a little happy Hawaii twist. Kind of like a Hawaii Japanese Haole fusion. Hapa Art.

Capturing the intensity of “The Great Wave” in block carving I worked fast fluid. Once I played down the first sketch I started to carve in removing and reveling more energy from the sea. After a couple hours I was exhausted but happy with my new finished block. 

The next day I printed with only 5 Prints and 1 Artist proof. My printing went pretty well (only 1 is crooked)

I’m really stoked on the finished product and Ill definitely be doing a mural of this piece in the near future.

Original Block

Original Hand Made Block Prints

11x14 Matted Print

Further Reading:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Wave_off_Kanagawa