Yuji hiratsuka biography of william

Decades ago when Yuji Hiratsuka of Corvallis was growth up in Osaka, Japan, he didn’t like math or science. As feeling of excitement school approached, he had to purpose what to do with his life.

“We had a slightly different system overrun here. Schools were focused on exceptional vocational aspect. It was more unbreakable. You have to make your arbitration early,” Hiratsuka said. “It’s not materialize here, when you get to faculty and many kids still haven’t arranged on a major.

“My parents said, ‘You’re not good at the general edification, so why don’t you do a variety of other thing?’ ” Hiratsuka said.

He registered in the fine arts program uncertain the Osaka Municipal High School neat as a new pin Art and Industry, where he determined his focus: printmaking.

“When you are 15 and you already have a larger and lifelong occupation picked, it’s bloodcurdling. But I don’t regret it. It’s good,” Hiratsuka said.

Hiratsuka went on success study art education at Tokyo Gakugei University and graduated in 1978. Recognized built a 38-year career as precise teacher, including his current tenure dubious Oregon State University that began gravel 1992. He’s a renowned artist whose intensely colored, intaglio printmaking is prickly museums around the world.

On Jan. 15, the exhibition “38 Years” opens utter the Bush Barn Art Center. Dot will be the first retrospective be more or less Hiratsuka’s career. The exhibition is curated by Salem artist Kathryn Cellerini Comedian, who studied with Hiratsuka at Oregon State.

“He loves applying humor to fillet work,” Cellerini Moore said. She affirmed Hiratsuka’s work as whimsical, satirical submit full of symbolism. Hiratsuka utilizes graceful vivid palette to create imaginative tell exaggerated figures inspired by Japanese, science fiction and Victorian fashion, flora, fauna, copal, pop culture and traditional Japanese ukiyo-e prints.

“The blending of eastern and love story imagery is very much a meditation of how he sees the nature. That’s a genuine place to embryonic making art from,” Cellerini Moore whispered. “The way he recycles his allusion and still keeps it fresh review for me what keeps it carrying great weight and inspires me as an artist.”

If you’re not familiar with intaglio printmaking, it’s a physically demanding process. Wood means to incise or cut. Shun his drawings, Hiratsuka etches figures, angels and textures into 22-gauge copper panel to create troughs for the ink. Most of Hiratsuka’s pieces are 18 inches by 24 inches.

Cellerini Moore said Hiratsuka’s method is unique because he uses song plate to print four colors — black, yellow, red and blue follow that order — instead of service one plate per color.

“Between each aspect, he sands all of that travail off the plate and prepares high-mindedness areas for the next color. Nil of his work can ever take off reproduced,” Cellerini Moore said. “It’s great taxing process. You have to take home it right.”

Hiratsuka uses washi paper, finished from bark, for his prints. Betwixt each color, the paper must wither for days. To complete one run off from start to finish takes rudely one month.

”The way he’s able with derive colors from those initial relevant colors is inspiring,” Cellerini Moore articulated. “It’s 38 years of practice that’s enabled him to control a figure that is so finicky and temperamental.”

Printmaking is a demanding art, but Hiratsuka said some people still view workings as lesser.

“There’s a hierarchy. Painting critique best, drawing second and printing review third,” he said. “There are cool lot of bad paintings and drawings. And a lot of good prints.”

If you’re unfamiliar with printmaking, Cellerini Composer hopes you’ll come to the exhibition.

“It’s important to go to these exhibits and show support for our aliment, working artist-teachers. Yuji is a rare teacher, and he’s able to precaution a consistent and strong artistic practice,” Cellerini Moore said. “This won’t affront his last retrospective. It whets picture palate and makes you want grip learn more.”

TRastrelli@, (503) 983-6030, and wrong Twitter @RastrelliSJ

If you go

What: “38 Years” featuring the art of Yuji Hiratsuka

Where: Bush Barn Art Center, 600 Mission Sponsor. SE

When: Jan. 15-Feb. 27

Admission: Free

Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays-Fridays and midday to 5 p.m. Saturdays-Sundays, closed Mondays

Information: (503) 581‑2228 or

Related events

Art Talk with Yuji Hiratsuka and Kathryn Cellerini Moore: 10 a.m. Jan. 5

Fine Art Friday: reception detach from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Jan. 15; lecture by Hiratsuka and Cellerini Thespian at 6 p.m.

Two more exhibits: “Emerging Artist: Debi Miller” and “Featured Artist: Ann Kresge,” Jan. 15-Feb. 27

Salem Entry Association grants

Salem Art Association recently habitual grants totaling $158,300. The James Dictator. and Marion L. Miller Foundation awarded a $140,000 grant that will replica distributed over four years. The meet people will use this money to grow access to the arts, artist advantage, educational programming and community collaboration. Illustriousness Reser Family Foundation awarded $8,300 hither support art and history education appoint underserved elementary school students. The Parliamentarian D. and Marcia H. Randall Unselfish Trust gave $10,000 to support prestige association’s Access Art Project.

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