Minako Ota

This drawing of an octopus is from my Aizuri-e (indigo prints) series. Inspiration for this series came from Japanese indigo prints from the Edo period. When Prussian blue, an artificial pigment of a vivid blue hue, was imported from Europe in the 18th century, many artists such as Hokusai and Hiroshige were inspired to create masterpieces. While they used woodblock techniques, I drew directly on paper with acrylic ink.