Photo Credit: PrintsbyMariko
Contemporary Drypoint Print Titled “Five Snails” by Mariko Kuzumi
Asking Price: $200 (price as of 2017; item no longer available)
Pros:
-This is a simple, yet alluring contemporary drypoint print titled “Five Snails” by the New York artist Mariko Kuzumi. It was made in 2011 using BFK Rives paper – a premium, acid-free, 100% cotton print-making paper imported from France.
-Drypoint is an etching technique where copper, zinc, Plexiglas or acetate plates are engraved using a sharp, needle-like implement. The resulting etched plates are then inked and used to make prints.
-Mariko Kuzumi used two different zinc plates to make this contemporary drypoint print – one for primary subject matter of the snails and a second for the foreground grass.
–Mariko Kuzumi was originally born in Japan, but immigrated to the United States with her family at age 14. She later attended the prestigious Rhode Island School of Design, where she earned a BFA and BARCH degrees. Her work has been exhibited extensively in the New York City area.
-Drypoint etched plates are very fragile. Because of this they are only able to produce a very limited run of prints, often no more than a few dozen. With this particular contemporary drypoint print, only a single copy has been made. The “Five Snails” print is a unique work, a factor that will positively impact its future investment performance.
-I love the use of color and line in this contemporary drypoint print. The snails form an arcing splash of color that naturally beckons the viewer’s gaze to sweep across the piece. The loose, almost jittery art style lends the work a welcome sense of natural energy and vitality. And the brightly colored snail shells add a refreshing vibrance to the otherwise monochromatic print.
-A lot of contemporary art has a reputation for being intellectually inaccessible or just plain ugly. However, this contemporary drypoint print by Mariko Kuzumi bucks the trend. It packages the best elements of contemporary art into a work that, while slightly abstracted, is still visually appealing and completely approachable.
-Considering this print’s appealing artistic style, premium materials and the fact that it is one-of-a-kind, I believe the asking price of $200 is easily justified. It is also important to keep in mind that good art is invariably more expensive to produce than the layman would suspect.
Cons:
-Mariko Kuzumi’s “Five Snails” print only measures 10.5 inches (26.7 cm) wide by 4.5 inches (11.4 cm) tall, making it a rather small work. Given its modest size, this contemporary drypoint print will never be appropriate for hanging over a sofa or fireplace. However, it would still look stunning in a more intimate space like a bathroom, foyer or perhaps a bedroom.
-This work comes unframed. If you actually want to display it, you will need to spend an additional $75 to $150 to have it properly framed with an acid-free mat and UV-filter glass. This will drive up the total cost of the print to a range of perhaps $275 to $350.
