The Peace of Gratitude

The Peace of Gratitude is a contemplative title that points away from genre subjects like bijin-ga or meisho-e and toward the more personal, emotionally resonant imagery typical of post-war sosaku-hanga, where the artist designs, carves, and prints the work themselves rather than dividing labor across a workshop. A print of this kind often relies on a stripped-down composition — a single object, a domestic interior, a still-life arrangement, or a quiet figure — printed in a soft palette with subtle bokashi gradients to set mood rather than describe place. Shimizu's long practice in mokuhanga since the mid-1970s places her within the lineage of Western artists, like Clifton Karhu and Daniel Kelly, who have worked seriously in traditional Japanese technique while drawing on personal subject matter. The water-based pigments on dampened washi, struck with a baren, give such prints a quiet surface that suits reflective, interior-facing subjects.