Bargain Books and Japanese Portraits.

I love a bargain. I often come across some cracking books in the Bluecoat Chambers. It is an art centre with a gallery. It has a book shop that sells antique and second hand books. Some of the books run into hundreds of pounds. I picked up Michelangelo, hardback for 12 pounds and Classical Painting, essential techniques from inside the atelier for about 10 pounds. I've had a few. My most recent buy was Dangerous Beauties and Dutiful Wives, for a fiver. Don't be put off by the title. Popular portraits of women in Japan. Created in the Taisho bijin period 1912-1926. In the book there are 100 plates from popular magazines of that time. Some of the artists are unknown. Cutting a long story short, they used lithography for mass production yet reading in the book, they echo the form and appeal of woodblock prints from earlier generations. I've really enjoyed the book and thought I would do a study of some of the portraits in the book. This painting I have done is called, Plum Blossoms. The artist's name was kaburaki kiyokata. It appeared in a magazine in 1921. It's not just about picking up a bargain book, it's all about the learning context within it.  I didn't use rice paper for this but cold pressed. I used Japanese watercolours and my Japanese brush. The other studies I intend using the rice paper for quick loose studies. Some have great backgrounds, which will make great practice material for Chinese brushwork.