In Slumber and Whimsy

"In Slumber and Whimsy" (まどろみ たわむれ), a 2023 woodcut measuring 64 × 83 cm, takes its title from the pairing of まどろみ — a drowsy, half-asleep state — with たわむれ, meaning play or frolic. The juxtaposition suggests an image holding two registers at once: the stillness of reverie and the kinetic quality of play, a liminal subject sitting between waking and dream.

The dimensions exceed the traditional [oban](/glossary/oban) format associated with Edo-period [nishiki-e](/glossary/nishiki-e), situating the work within the conventions of contemporary Japanese woodcut, where larger sheets of [washi](/glossary/washi) accommodate more expansive pictorial space and broader carved areas. As a hand-printed woodcut, the work continues the lineage of relief printing on absorbent washi while operating outside the divided artisan workshop system of the Edo period — designer, carver, and printer typically being a single contemporary artist.