Catalog (279)

Potato Z-8 12/24 Big kanji, big collage. Calligraphy and signature in silver ink. Excellent condition. 9.5" x 10.5"

Late in life, circa 1999, Japanese master print maker, Haku Maki, did this shikishiban print. It is called Z1-12 (WAZA); 7.25'' x 8.25''; Shikishiban is a nearly square format. Shikishiban are often mounted on a thick, light cardboard. Japanese people like to give them as presents. The print is in the US and will be shipped from there.

teaching example board wrapped in thin paper last 2 images seller claims this is from Oakland Museum seller claims it is signed by Maki the writing and the date are NOT Maki style Maki did the print but did he sign it? did he sign this "painting" friend doubts Oakland Museum and Maki would not have meshed

Haku Maki tried to work until he died; the last images were not pretty. They were printed first on very thin paper, which was then “wrapped” around heavy shikishi board. They are lithographs not done from wood blocks. From the late 1980s Maki had stopped doing embossed prints turning instead to collages and lithographed prints. These are among his last prints: Kyowa brand Shikishi board is made in Japan. Size: 9 1/2" x 10 1/2" (24.2cm x 27.2cm) There are two (2) pieces in one pack. These plain Shikishi art boards got a white rice paper on one side and light yellow color paper with golden sparkles on the other, edged with gold colored trim. Already mounted, the white rice paper surface is still very absorbent. You may also paint or write on the yellow side if you wish. Thus late in life Maki seems to have experimented by doing lithograph on this board. The prints all give the impression of being dashed off with a brush, not printed, but they were. These were supposedly large editions, up to several hundred, but some were done in small editions. Maki did not give these prints titles. Hence I describe the themes as follows: from left to right: Self Not known Mountain Nothingness Rain and Let it go All the images follow the Maki formula for identifying them as his: they are signed (but we cannot confirm by whom), they have the Maki seal (but who affixed it?) and who actually published the print? Maki was near death when these were done. Why did Maki do them?

The bottom margin states this is 39/777 but did Maki really do that many and if so where are they? This is a late-in-life Maki print. Where did this idea come from? A sunflower! I know van Gogh did quite a few famous paintings depicting many sunflowers, all realistic paintings. The Japanese printmaker Tadashi Nakayama did many different takes on Sunflowers. These were realistic depictions. Nakayama did fewer. Maki did this one and it was quite abstract It was the only Sunflower he did. It came late in life; it is a silk screen effort and interesting if not compelling. He used yellow and blue to depict the flower in this. I do not believe Maki did 777 of this or any image.

Japan Maki potato research note

This Tiffany pin, designed by Paloma Picasso, is 18k gold and measures 3.5cm x 2cm(1 1/4in x ¾ in). It is imprinted on the back with Paloma Picasso, Tiffany & Co, 750.

hk good coins 7 xx

Maki’s Big Reds—an appellation which my late husband Daniel Tretiak gave to Maki’s large, red designs (usually kanji) on black backgrounds—are well-represented by this ox, a subject Maki did many times. An artist’s proof (A.P.), it measures 16in x 21.75in.

This small lively print depicts two generations of small children playing. It measures 6.25in x 8 3/16in.

In the last year of Maki’s life, Daniel Tretiak tells us, he was ill but continued to work. He did lithographs on shikishi board, which was a hard board covered in white rice paper. The back was yellow with a small design in gold and the whole board is gold-edged. Poem 8B is one of those works done in the 1999-2000 period.

This print, done in 1969, has—Dan Tretiak writes—an abstract child and a reddish moon. He also saw the blue seemingly changing from light to dark. The print is horizontal, measuring 15in W x 11.5in H.

Done in 1992, Poem 5 is a very stylized take on the kanji for woman女. Maki did many, many versions of woman. All of them are interesting, most of them striking. To me, this dramatic rendering strays the furthest from the actual character. Daniel Tretiak called this a Square Woman. This was done using the silkscreen process; it is not an embossed woodblock print. It measures 11.5in x 11.5 in.

In 1977 Haku Maki did the images for the months of the year. June is a horizontal print measuring 13.75in W x 6in H.

Grape 2 is one of Haku Maki’s depictions of fruit. This one is pure and simple and in good condition. It is 8.5 sq inches.

This is an example of Haku Maki’s production of small prints that were known as San Mon Ban. These prints were usually 2in x 2in but there were instances of larger ones. This one measures 6in x 6in. Dan Tretiak writes that Haku Maki began creating San Mon Ban in early 1975, a set of seven volumes of small prints. For some he used themes from the past, others were new themes that he used again and again in succeeding years. A small rendering for collectors to add to their holdings.

This dramatic Big Red—a name Daniel Tretiak attached to Haku Maki’s large red prints, usually of single Chinese characters (kanji) on black backgrounds—is a character meaning ordinary or commonplace. But Maki has done it in a stand-out way. It is 17.5in W x 24.5inH. NOTE: Dan Tretiak also referred to other large single-character ones of other colors as Big Yellow, Big Green, etc. See an interesting discussion of this between him and a friend at entry #1191431 below.

Haku Maki liked to do prints of turtles or tortoises. This one, Poem 70-6, has two turtles, the smaller drawn to resemble the hand-written kanji for turtle. The print is 197 of 202 and measures 12in x 12in.