Black Marks (artist’s proof)

Black Marks is a 1999 artist's proof woodblock print that explores the expressive potential of ink marks carved and pressed from wooden blocks. As a mokuhanga artist working in the contemporary tradition, Ayomi Yoshida treats the woodblock not as a means of reproduction but as a tool for creating unique textural impressions. This proof exists outside any numbered edition, making it a singular object that records a specific moment of experimentation. The title directs attention to the marks themselves, their blackness, their shape, their relationship to the paper surface, rather than to any representational content they might suggest.