Silver Bird

A silver bird — the bird's form rendered with a metallic luminosity that catches light in a manner distinct from ordinary flat color woodblock printing. Kimura's silver bird subjects, of which this is one of several versions, explored the visual quality of metallic sheen as a printing effect, whether through actual metallic inks or through the careful management of pale, reflective tones. The bird form abstracted to silver was both a specific creature and a luminous, somewhat abstract presence in the print.