Joshua Rome

Born: New Yorks in 1953
Medium: Woodblock


As a young man, uncertain of what he wanted to do, Joshua Rome moved to Japan in 1973. Living in the Kyoto area, he discovered the traditional Japanese art form of the woodblock. Joshua worked with fellow American Clifton Karhu, as well as Japanese woodblock artists, and has since developed a distinct style of his own.

Joshua and his family lived on an acre of land one hour outside of Kyoto where the community consists of a dozen other farm households. As a result, Joshua’s primary focus has been rural concerns. He has a passion for farming and the preservation of old-stock heritage plants and vegetables. In his artwork, the interest in agriculture also predominates, with myriad images of farmhouses, rice fields and rural scenes. By not living with the bright lights of a city, Joshua experienced the effects of different natural light on various landscape scenes--starlight, moonlight and the hazy sunlight (from water vapor and smoke) typical of Japan, which then became incorporated into his special woodblock prints. In 1998 Joshua and his family moved to western Massachusetts where they continue to reside in a rural setting. He was featured on Martha Stewart's TV show in the fall of 2000, showing all steps required to create the woodblock print Tsuki.

Unlike some artists who work in this medium, Joshua Rome readily permits the grain and texture of his blocks to show through. Ink is not so heavily applied to the blocks, and as a result there is more paper color visible through the ink. This makes for a relatively loose style, which allows him to achieve ethereal renditions that sometimes border on the impressionistic.

Exhibitions:
CWAJ Print Show, Tokyo, since 1981
Japan Print Society
Osaka
Tokyo
New York City
Okinawa
Nagoya
Kyoto
Yokohama
Cincinnati

Collections:
British Museum, London
James A. Michener Collection, Honolulu
Cleveland Museum of Art
Newark Public Library, New Jersey