bunny

This 2025 drypoint depicts a bunny, rendered through the characteristic scratched-line quality of the intaglio technique. Drypoint's distinctive burr — the raised metal displaced by the needle — retains ink to produce soft, velvety edges that lend animal subjects a tactile warmth. Saito likely uses spare, economy of line rather than dense cross-hatching, allowing the white of the paper to define volume and form. The bunny subject, classified under nature themes, places the work within a long tradition of Japanese artists treating small animals as vehicles for quiet observation. In drypoint, the plate's burr wears progressively with each impression, making early prints in the edition richer in tone. The work reflects Saito's engagement with Western intaglio techniques alongside her training in Japanese printmaking traditions, demonstrating how contemporary Japanese artists move fluidly between mokuhanga and European print methods.