Green Glitter

Green Glitter signals through its title the inclusion of reflective or metallic surface elements, a feature Shimura developed extensively in his serigraph practice and carries into mokuhanga via traditional pigment additives such as mica (kira) or metallic-pigment-bound inks applied with the baren. The green-dominant palette places the work within his repeated engagement with vegetal and meadow subjects, though the absence of a representational title noun suggests a more abstract or atmospheric reading than Meadow Trio or Purple Forest. Color in mokuhanga is built block by block, and a granular surface effect requires either coarse-pigment passes laid over flat ground colors or selective application of mica to specific block areas. Shimura's career-long interest in surface luminosity — first developed during his composition studies at Tokyo University of Education and refined during his Cambridge years — connects his Japanese training in flat color separation to the British contemporary serigraphy school's tonal-foil tradition. The piece functions as a small study in light retention rather than landscape narrative.