Narra and White Pine

59" x 42" x 12"  2000

The free standing screen is an interpretation of a traditional Japanese shoji screen. Shoji screens, usually made of wood with paper panels, are often used to visually divide a room and provide a sense of privacy.  The Narra and Pine screen has wood panels made of clear white pine in place of paper.

The pine panels provide a large canvas for a carving technique called chip carving, which uses a short-bladed knife to engrave a design.  Subtle, flowing reeds decorate one side of the screen. A narrow space left between the panels and frame help create the sense of delicacy that is often associated with the traditional paper and wood screens.