{"title":"Lacquer Portraits","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThree portraits by wataboku. Each exists once.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMukuro, Saturn and Hikari began as wataboku’s drawings. They did not stop there. Each was then finished by hand in genuine urushi, the natural lacquer of Japan, over silver leaf. The lacquer turns the silver to gold, and the pattern that forms while it dries cannot be planned or repeated. No second panel will ever look like these.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThe three panels\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/products\/wataboku-mukuro\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMukuro\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e: a tight, wary half-smile and a ribbon of leaf running across her face like a crack. The one with an edge.\u003cbr\u003eBackground: a stacked-stone pattern (ishizumi) in kijiro urushi, the clear, translucent lacquer. The breath leaving her mouth is drawn in the same pattern. Eyes: blue.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/products\/wataboku-saturn\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSaturn\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e: calm and unblinking, with a thin ring of light around her shoulders. The most composed.\u003cbr\u003eBackground: urushi flowers, blooms of lacquer that open like flowers across the leaf as it dries. Eyes: blue.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/products\/wataboku-hikari\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHikari\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e: a glance slipping to the side, the leaf cracked like dry earth behind her. The most intimate.\u003cbr\u003eBackground: a fine fissure pattern in kijiro urushi, the cracks laid in on the diagonal. Eyes: blue.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAll three look out with blue eyes. What changes is everything behind them: a different lacquer pattern for each panel, formed by the lacquer itself.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEach panel is a unique work, 60 × 30 cm, made in 2022, in a slim wooden frame: black outside, with a fine gold line on the inner edge. €2,500 each, including VAT. Delivery takes around six weeks after payment.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eNot a print. A made object.\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eMost images are finished the moment they are printed. These three are only begun there. The drawing is printed on an acrylic panel mounted on iron, and everything that gives the panel its character happens afterwards, by hand, in lacquer. That is why a photograph on a screen can show you the face, but not the surface. The surface changes with the light and with where you stand, and it is the reason to see one of these in the room.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eHow a panel is made\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e1. The drawing.\u003c\/strong\u003e wataboku’s drawing is printed on acrylic and the acrylic is mounted on iron. The face, the line and the tone are fixed here. Everything that follows is built over them.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e2. Silver leaf and genuine urushi.\u003c\/strong\u003e Silver leaf is laid, and then 100% natural urushi lacquer is applied over it. Urushi is translucent and amber in tone. It takes in the light around it instead of sitting flat, and it is what turns the silver to gold.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e3. Coat, polish, repeat.\u003c\/strong\u003e The lacquer is applied over the leaf and polished by hand, several times over. Each layer adds depth, so the surface looks as if you could look into it.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e4. The pattern forms as it dries.\u003c\/strong\u003e When lacquer and silver leaf meet, the pattern that appears during the time the lacquer takes to dry is completely its own. Nobody can steer it, and nobody can reproduce it. This is the moment each panel becomes a one-off.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e5. Fine details by hand.\u003c\/strong\u003e Details are added with a maki-e brush, the fine brush used in traditional Japanese lacquer work.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWhy urushi\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eLacquer has been part of life and culture in Japan for over 9,000 years. It is one of the country’s representative crafts, so closely tied to it that lacquerware is called “japan” overseas. The technique behind these panels grew out of many years of lacquerware restoration. It takes that craft and applies it to materials other than wood. Combining printed acrylic with lacquer was a new step, and the ink and the lacquer were tested against each other again and again before the surface was settled.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe surface can take on very different characters: blooms of lacquer like flowers, bark-like grain, scattered speckles, or fine cracks like dry earth. On every panel the leaf, the lacquer and the drawing meet differently, which is why the three panels, though they come from one series, will never match each other.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eLiving with a panel\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eA lacquer panel asks for very little. Hang it indoors, away from direct sunlight, heat sources and the draught of an air conditioner. To clean it, wipe gently with a soft cloth dampened in lukewarm water, with a little neutral dish detergent (1 to 2%) if needed. Please do not wipe it dry, and do not use glass cleaner, alcohol or thinner, which can crack the lacquer. Once or twice a year, check that the fittings are tight.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThe details\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eArtist: wataboku\u003cbr\u003eYear: 2022\u003cbr\u003eSize: 60 × 30 cm (artwork)\u003cbr\u003eMaterials: print on acrylic mounted on iron, silver leaf, genuine urushi lacquer, finished with a maki-e brush\u003cbr\u003eFrame: slim wooden frame, black outside with a fine gold line on the inner edge\u003cbr\u003eEdition: a unique work\u003cbr\u003ePrice: €2,500 each, including VAT\u003cbr\u003eDelivery: around six weeks after payment\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eSee them in person, or take one home now\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe three panels hang at Art Market Budapest, 15–18 October 2026, booth PR303. You can also buy online: choose a panel below and check out. A unique work goes to whoever completes checkout first. If you have a question about a panel, write to \u003ca href=\"mailto:contact@tokiol.io\"\u003econtact@tokiol.io\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMore about the artist: \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/wataboku\"\u003ewataboku\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"wataboku-mukuro","title":"Mukuro","description":"\u003cp\u003eA tight, wary half-smile, a hand raised to the cheek, and a ribbon of silver leaf, warmed to gold by the lacquer, that runs across her face like a crack in the surface before slipping out of the frame. Of the three panels, this is the one with an edge.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat sets this panel apart\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBackground: a stacked-stone pattern (ishizumi) in kijiro urushi, the clear, translucent lacquer that lets the gold glow through. The breath leaving her mouth is drawn in the same pattern, so the lacquer is not only the setting but part of her. Eyes: blue.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA word on Mukuro\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIf you want a panel with tension in it, this is the one. She is guarded, but not closed. The stone-like pattern gathers around her mouth, as if what she does not say had taken physical form. Rest your eyes on the blue of hers against the warm gold, then step to one side: the lacquer moves with the light, and the picture moves with it. A face like this is made to live with, because it is never quite the same twice.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNatural-patterned art\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNatural-patterned art is a new method of expression that combines 100% natural, genuine urushi lacquer with materials other than wood, drawing on techniques cultivated over many years of lacquerware restoration. When lacquer meets metal foil, the pattern that forms during the time the lacquer takes to dry is entirely its own and can never be repeated, so this panel exists in one state only. Patterns of this kind include urushi flowers, bark, shaken and fissured patterns.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow it is made\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis is a first collaboration between natural patterns and printed acrylic. After repeated tests of how ink and lacquer behave together, the drawing is printed on an acrylic panel mounted on iron. Lacquer is then applied over the silver leaf and polished, again and again, until the layers give the surface its depth. The translucent, amber lacquer is what turns the silver to gold. Fine details are added by hand with a maki-e brush. Lacquer has been part of Japanese life and culture for over 9,000 years, and overseas the craft is known simply as \"japan\".\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1099\/9558\/9964\/files\/lacquer-process-polishing.jpg?v=1791641981\" alt=\"A craftsperson in gloves polishing a lacquered panel by hand, with a bowl of amber urushi lacquer beside it\" style=\"max-width:60%;height:auto\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003csmall\u003e\u003cem\u003ePolishing a lacquered panel by hand: coats of urushi are applied and polished again and again.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/small\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1099\/9558\/9964\/files\/lacquer-process-maki-e-brush.jpg?v=1791641981\" alt=\"A fine brush adding detail over cracked silver leaf and amber lacquer\" style=\"max-width:100%;height:auto\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003csmall\u003e\u003cem\u003eFine detail added with a brush over silver leaf and lacquer.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/small\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e2022. 60 × 30 cm (artwork). Presented in a slim wooden frame, black on the outside with a fine gold line on the inner edge. A unique work.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCare\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFor indoor display only, away from direct sunlight, fire, stoves and air-conditioning vents.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe lacquer, especially on the back, scratches easily: handle the framed work with care and hang it on a wall free of uneven parts.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe panel may deform if hung for a very long time.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eClean gently with a soft cloth such as gauze and lukewarm water with a 1–2% neutral kitchen detergent solution. Do not wipe with a dry towel, glass cleaner, thinner, alcohol or anti-static cleaners.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003ePlease allow around one month after payment before dispatch.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"wataboku","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":59096520196428,"sku":null,"price":2500.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1099\/9558\/9964\/files\/tokiol-wataboku-mukuro-framed.jpg?v=1791966569"},{"product_id":"wataboku-saturn","title":"Saturn","description":"\u003cp\u003eShe faces us squarely, calm and unblinking, while a thin ring of light circles her shoulders like the rings of the planet. Silver leaf, warmed to gold by the lacquer, breaks open on either side and fine lines fan outward from her face. The most composed of the three panels.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat sets this panel apart\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBackground: urushi flowers, blooms of lacquer that open like flowers across the leaf as it dries. Eyes: blue.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA word on Saturn\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe quietest of the three, and perhaps the most commanding. She looks straight out, unhurried, with a thin ring of light around her, like the rings of the planet she is named for. Behind her the lacquer has flowered on its own, in a pattern no one could have drawn. Calm in the picture, alive in the surface: that contrast is what makes Saturn a panel you can hang in a living room and still not finish looking at.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNatural-patterned art\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNatural-patterned art is a new method of expression that combines 100% natural, genuine urushi lacquer with materials other than wood, drawing on techniques cultivated over many years of lacquerware restoration. When lacquer meets metal foil, the pattern that forms during the time the lacquer takes to dry is entirely its own and can never be repeated, so this panel exists in one state only. Patterns of this kind include urushi flowers, bark, shaken and fissured patterns.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow it is made\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis is a first collaboration between natural patterns and printed acrylic. After repeated tests of how ink and lacquer behave together, the drawing is printed on an acrylic panel mounted on iron. Lacquer is then applied over the silver leaf and polished, again and again, until the layers give the surface its depth. The translucent, amber lacquer is what turns the silver to gold. Fine details are added by hand with a maki-e brush. Lacquer has been part of Japanese life and culture for over 9,000 years, and overseas the craft is known simply as \"japan\".\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1099\/9558\/9964\/files\/lacquer-process-polishing.jpg?v=1791641981\" alt=\"A craftsperson in gloves polishing a lacquered panel by hand, with a bowl of amber urushi lacquer beside it\" style=\"max-width:60%;height:auto\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003csmall\u003e\u003cem\u003ePolishing a lacquered panel by hand: coats of urushi are applied and polished again and again.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/small\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1099\/9558\/9964\/files\/lacquer-process-maki-e-brush.jpg?v=1791641981\" alt=\"A fine brush adding detail over cracked silver leaf and amber lacquer\" style=\"max-width:100%;height:auto\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003csmall\u003e\u003cem\u003eFine detail added with a brush over silver leaf and lacquer.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/small\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e2022. 60 × 30 cm (artwork). Presented in a slim wooden frame, black on the outside with a fine gold line on the inner edge. A unique work.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCare\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFor indoor display only, away from direct sunlight, fire, stoves and air-conditioning vents.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe lacquer, especially on the back, scratches easily: handle the framed work with care and hang it on a wall free of uneven parts.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe panel may deform if hung for a very long time.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eClean gently with a soft cloth such as gauze and lukewarm water with a 1–2% neutral kitchen detergent solution. Do not wipe with a dry towel, glass cleaner, thinner, alcohol or anti-static cleaners.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003ePlease allow around one month after payment before dispatch.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"wataboku","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":59096536187212,"sku":null,"price":2500.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1099\/9558\/9964\/files\/tokiol-wataboku-saturn-framed.jpg?v=1791966569"},{"product_id":"wataboku-hikari","title":"Hikari","description":"\u003cp\u003eHer head is turned three-quarters, one hand lifted to her eye, her glance slipping to the side. Behind her the silver leaf, warmed to gold by the lacquer, has cracked like dry earth, so that the light seems to rise from the ground itself. The most intimate of the three panels.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat sets this panel apart\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBackground: a fine fissure pattern in kijiro urushi, the clear, translucent lacquer. The cracks are laid in on the diagonal across the panel. Eyes: blue.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA word on Hikari\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe most intimate of the three, and the one that rewards looking closely. Her glance slips away from us, her hand rises to her face, and behind her the surface has split into countless fine cracks, running at an angle, as though light were coming up through the ground. From across the room it reads as a soft, warm glow; step closer and it becomes a map. It is a panel for a quiet wall, for someone who likes to find something new each time they pass.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNatural-patterned art\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNatural-patterned art is a new method of expression that combines 100% natural, genuine urushi lacquer with materials other than wood, drawing on techniques cultivated over many years of lacquerware restoration. When lacquer meets metal foil, the pattern that forms during the time the lacquer takes to dry is entirely its own and can never be repeated, so this panel exists in one state only. Patterns of this kind include urushi flowers, bark, shaken and fissured patterns.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow it is made\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis is a first collaboration between natural patterns and printed acrylic. After repeated tests of how ink and lacquer behave together, the drawing is printed on an acrylic panel mounted on iron. Lacquer is then applied over the silver leaf and polished, again and again, until the layers give the surface its depth. The translucent, amber lacquer is what turns the silver to gold. Fine details are added by hand with a maki-e brush. Lacquer has been part of Japanese life and culture for over 9,000 years, and overseas the craft is known simply as \"japan\".\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1099\/9558\/9964\/files\/lacquer-process-polishing.jpg?v=1791641981\" alt=\"A craftsperson in gloves polishing a lacquered panel by hand, with a bowl of amber urushi lacquer beside it\" style=\"max-width:60%;height:auto\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003csmall\u003e\u003cem\u003ePolishing a lacquered panel by hand: coats of urushi are applied and polished again and again.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/small\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1099\/9558\/9964\/files\/lacquer-process-maki-e-brush.jpg?v=1791641981\" alt=\"A fine brush adding detail over cracked silver leaf and amber lacquer\" style=\"max-width:100%;height:auto\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003csmall\u003e\u003cem\u003eFine detail added with a brush over silver leaf and lacquer.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/small\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e2022. 60 × 30 cm (artwork). Presented in a slim wooden frame, black on the outside with a fine gold line on the inner edge. A unique work.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCare\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFor indoor display only, away from direct sunlight, fire, stoves and air-conditioning vents.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe lacquer, especially on the back, scratches easily: handle the framed work with care and hang it on a wall free of uneven parts.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe panel may deform if hung for a very long time.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eClean gently with a soft cloth such as gauze and lukewarm water with a 1–2% neutral kitchen detergent solution. Do not wipe with a dry towel, glass cleaner, thinner, alcohol or anti-static cleaners.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003ePlease allow around one month after payment before dispatch.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"wataboku","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":59096542347596,"sku":null,"price":2500.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1099\/9558\/9964\/files\/tokiol-wataboku-hikari-framed.jpg?v=1791966569"}],"url":"https:\/\/tokiol.io\/collections\/lacquer-portraits.oembed","provider":"TOKIOL","version":"1.0","type":"link"}