'Seconds'
Note: The 'construction' process for the scroll was extremely long and complicated, and not all the prints made it through the entire procedure perfectly. I have a small selection of 'seconds' available.
I was of two minds about these prints. Of course the ideal situation is that all the prints I send out should be 'perfect'. In the case of most of the prints I have issued, I print up more than I think I will need, then simply cull and discard the ones that have defects. There is no need to even think about issuing 'seconds'. But for this scroll print, the situation is a bit different. After eighteen months of work on the project, I ended up with less than 100 completed sheets. (I had specially ordered the paper for this project, and when the batch was done, that was the end of it.)
I had prior orders for somewhere around 60 of them, and shipped those when they were ready. Another 30 or so were 'left over' and are now in my storeroom, awaiting customers. I also have any number of test and trial sheets, along with badly spoiled copies, and these are of course not considered for sale, but will stay here as part of my archives.
But between those two areas are the prints that have some kind of defect, but that are close enough to 'normal' that it would be a shame to throw them out. All I can guess is that there may be people out there who wouldn't mind these defects, of course in exchange for a lower price for the product. These scrolls are 50,000 yen each, reduced from the 80,000 of the normal ones. They are otherwise identical, include the same paulownia box, and carry my signature.
It's funny how 'defects' on prints are viewed differently over time. I have plenty of hundred-year-old prints here that have smudges or tears, and these don't detract from their beauty at all. But nobody wants a 'new' print that is defective ... So perhaps the viewpoint you might take on these 'seconds' is that you are buying them for the 'future' ... :-)
Anyway, here they are, each one with photographs and description clearly outlining the problems. (Images are clickable for enlargements). If you have any interest in one of these prints, just use the contact link at the bottom of the page to write to me and ask ... (I have identified each one with a number - these are completely unrelated to any kind of 'edition'; they are simply for reference for this page ...)
Thank you!
Print #101 (Sold)
Problems: I was careless while brushing out the pigment on one of the background colour overprintings, and an area near her face became smeared. In addition to this, there was a small lump of unmixed blue pigment present in the brown colour, and it formed a blurred blue dot on the background in one spot.
Print #102
Problems: A similar problem to the previous print - lumps of unmixed pigment in the background colour. (The background was done with repeated impressions, and each one had to be done very quickly, because of the large size of the block ... it tended to dry out during the brushing ...)
Print #103 (Sold)
Problems: Still more background problems - this one is a scattering of green pigment, presumably from the deep green area printed nearby ... In addition to that, there is an area under her chin where I was careless when brushing out the pigment, and left some unsightly streaks ...
Print #104
Problems: Neither of the problems on this print was my fault! This was one of the first prints worked on by the scroll mounter, and he had perhaps not yet had enough experience with this particular type of (very thin) paper. The scroll has developed a 'kink' in one place, and will not lay flat and smooth. There is also a problem with the paper - it wasn't apparent until the mounting was done, but there is a small hair buried just under the surface of the washi. If it had happened to be in a darker area, it wouldn't be a problem, but it is on her neck. Surgery may be possible, but it would almost certainly leave a visible mark ...
Print #105 (Sold)
Problems:Definitely my fault on this one ... careless brushing out of the pigment on the background, leaving a discoloured patch at the top of the print ...
Print #106 (Sold)
Problems: More background problems ... The unsightly mark at the top left of this print was caused when the moist paper I was holding dipped down slightly and made contact with the wet block before I had it in proper position. When this sort of thing happens early in the process, such a sheet is discarded, but when it is nearly the final impression ... :-(
Print #107
Problems: Mounting problems, similar to #104 above. The scroll is creased in one place, and has a small warp in another ...
Print #108
Problems: There are two problems on the face here: there is a small discolouration in the washi, and a tiny chunk of unmixed sumi caught up in one eyelash. In addition to these problems, the background colour is weakly printed in the area above her head ...
