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Both Takuji
Hamanaka and Eric
Fertman continue to make art along the right bank of the East
River as do many other artist in the NYC area. Takuji also teaches
several classes in print making, the schedule is listed above. He
will be having an exhibition of his prints at Dublin
Art Council in Ohio, February 2004. You can find more information
about Takuji Hamanaka in his website: takujihamanaka.com
Along with this
interview, Eric has also contributed a series of calligraphic drawings
which can be seen in story
11 . You can expect to see more contributions from Eric in the
coming issues of PetiteMort as he one of the most regular contributer
to PM to date. In January 2004 Eric's sculpture will be on view
as part of the "In Practice: Special Project Series"
at the Sculpture
Center in Long Island City. More info on Eric's art can be found
at efstudio.org.
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What's it like making the first mark on
an $400 dollar roll of paper?
The great thing was I did not worry about making
any mistakes. It was care free, a sort of liberation from print making,
which I had been doing, and is very process oriented and indirect. And
I had plenty of paper for quite sometime, so I just kept painting. Actually
you have not seen some of those paintings.
  
Your paintings often depict the illusion
of space, can you describe that space?
I hope to create a space where all the organic matter,
from small to large, coexist in harmony. But contrary to that I hope they
look quite chaotic and crazy.
Do you have a vocabulary of shapes that
you work with, or do you invent new forms for each painting?
For about last five years or so, whatever I drew
tended to be these funky-crazy shapes you see in my paintings. Some people
speculated from looking at my works that I might have some intestinal
disorder.
What meal would you recommend someone eat
before looking at your paintings?
Probably they should not eat anything, since my
paintings might upset their stomachs. A person with serious constipation
might like to see my paintings, since they might induce their digestive
mechanism to get going better than ever.
Where would you most like to see your paintings
displayed?
A chiropractor's office, next to those illustrations
where they show hundreds of pressure points.
What do you dream will happen to your paintings
in the very distant future, after you're gone?
After I am gone? I do not care about them. I am
more curious about if there is an after life, than what would happen to
my works. Probably most of my works will end up in a thrift store or junk
shop, except for a few pieces purchased by very generous people.
Do you believe in ghosts? What kind?
There are many things logic can not explain in
the world.
I think I have seen some of those things in my life, yes, I think i believe
in ghosts.
I think they are like us in a way, so they come in all kinds of different
shapes, smells, and tastes.
If I was your student how would you begin
to train me?
Your day would start by preparing tea for me in
the morning, of course that would be after cleaning the studio. I would
let you make a small wooden shrine that has a Japanese god in it, you
would wear it on the top of your head whenever you do carving or printing.
All the processes must be done sitting on the floor. By the time you have
bowed legs like mine, you are a master. X
 
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