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Tom KRISTENSEN(born 1962)Biography |
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| Tom KRISTENSEN (woodcut,self
portrait) a click on the wood cut shows the artist in his workshop |
Artist
– Tom
KRISTENSEN, born 1962, is a passionate ukiyo-e collector and
printmaker from Australia who works in typical Japanese 'moku
hanga' style: self-carved and self-printed with natural
Japanese pigments on hand-made washi paper. He has a liking
for all cultural things Japanese. That is the root for a loose
series titled Kaiju Manga. The "leitmotiv" of this
series is a connection of Japanese comic characters like
Godzilla, Mothra or Astro Boy with environmental issues.
Tom Kristensen would not be the collector of Japanese prints and woodblock printmaker without the Internet. He has started as a self-styled woodblock printmaker in 2003 without any history of art training or exhibitions records. To create a Japanese style woodblock print, you need Japanese washi paper, wooden blocks, tools and colors and some more materials. Tom orders it on the Internet.
In contrast to 19th century ukiyo-e, Tom Kristensen has no carvers and printers who turn his designs into a final print. Tom draws, carves and prints himself. This is the essence om "sosaku hanga" style. He works in the traditional style of Japanese printmaking using traditional Japanese tools and materials. And here again the Internet plays a major role. Tom has learned his skill mostly from the Internet. There are many sites with practical information. Foremost to mention is the Baren Forum, an international platform and place of exchange of knowledge for woodblock printmakers from all over the world.
Tom was first discovered by Eric van den Ing from Saru Gallery, where Paul Binnie was first introduced. In 2004 Tom Kristensen has begun to work on a series '36 Views of Green Island'. In 2006 followed his "Kaijiu Manga" series, a mock up of the 1961 the Toho film studio's success of the Godzilla brand. Tom's creations Mothra has an allegorical side. There is a critique of American capitalism and parody of religious worship, to be seen in many of his prints.
Personal life - Tom KRISTENSEN was born in Australia in 1962. His parents migrated to Australia in that year from Denmark and Duesseldorf/Germany. His father grew up in a fishing village in the North of Denmark, his mother came from the war-torn Duesseldorf in Germany. The two wanted to build a new life in Australia. His father was architect and his mother a pottery artist. As creative people, they used their own creativity in building a new kind of "free" school, where children were encouraged to discover.
Tom has a brother and a sister. He reflects on his childhood days spending most of their days creating works of art and to build tree houses, spending their holidays in tents on the beach, the landscape that he loves most.
Tom studied at University and has a degree in biology, with a focus on botany and ecology. After his graduation he worked as a creative landscape architect and gardener, along with my career as a musician. Tom has a distincitve love for nature and especially the sea and the beaches, often reflected in his works.
Aliases - none
Disciples - no known disciples
Tom Kristensen would not be the collector of Japanese prints and woodblock printmaker without the Internet. He has started as a self-styled woodblock printmaker in 2003 without any history of art training or exhibitions records. To create a Japanese style woodblock print, you need Japanese washi paper, wooden blocks, tools and colors and some more materials. Tom orders it on the Internet.
In contrast to 19th century ukiyo-e, Tom Kristensen has no carvers and printers who turn his designs into a final print. Tom draws, carves and prints himself. This is the essence om "sosaku hanga" style. He works in the traditional style of Japanese printmaking using traditional Japanese tools and materials. And here again the Internet plays a major role. Tom has learned his skill mostly from the Internet. There are many sites with practical information. Foremost to mention is the Baren Forum, an international platform and place of exchange of knowledge for woodblock printmakers from all over the world.
Tom is not only a good printmaker, but also good in writing. On How a Woodblock Print is Made he demonstrates with words and images how his art is created.
There are a number of Westerners using traditional material an techniques to create woodblocks. Among them for instance Poul JACOULET (1896-1960), Elizabeth KEITH (1887-1956), Bertha LUM (1869-1954), Fritz CAPELARI (1884-1950), Cyrus BALDRIDGE (1889-1975), Mary BRODBECK (b. 1958), and Paul BINNIE (born 1967), just to name a few, all with their own contribution to ukiyo-e. Tom KRISTENSEN is listed as ukiyo-e artist in the "ukiyo-e.org" database.Tom was first discovered by Eric van den Ing from Saru Gallery, where Paul Binnie was first introduced. In 2004 Tom Kristensen has begun to work on a series '36 Views of Green Island'. In 2006 followed his "Kaijiu Manga" series, a mock up of the 1961 the Toho film studio's success of the Godzilla brand. Tom's creations Mothra has an allegorical side. There is a critique of American capitalism and parody of religious worship, to be seen in many of his prints.
Personal life - Tom KRISTENSEN was born in Australia in 1962. His parents migrated to Australia in that year from Denmark and Duesseldorf/Germany. His father grew up in a fishing village in the North of Denmark, his mother came from the war-torn Duesseldorf in Germany. The two wanted to build a new life in Australia. His father was architect and his mother a pottery artist. As creative people, they used their own creativity in building a new kind of "free" school, where children were encouraged to discover.
Tom has a brother and a sister. He reflects on his childhood days spending most of their days creating works of art and to build tree houses, spending their holidays in tents on the beach, the landscape that he loves most.
Tom studied at University and has a degree in biology, with a focus on botany and ecology. After his graduation he worked as a creative landscape architect and gardener, along with my career as a musician. Tom has a distincitve love for nature and especially the sea and the beaches, often reflected in his works.
Aliases - none
Disciples - no known disciples
Copyright 2008 ff: Hans P. Boehme