by
Lois Wadsworth, The Eugene Weekly Feb 11th
1999, Volume XVIII, No 6
(Reprinted with permission, with minor editorial corrections)
Miniature sculptures by Eugene artist Anthony Towne along with a collection of meticulous etchings by Tanaka Ryohei are on exhibit at White Lotus Gallery through March 16.
Towne is one of only about 100 artists worldwide who carve the special art form known in Japan as Netsuke (pronounced net-skay), a word that literally means -hanging root. " These miniature sculptures were originally accessories carried in the sleeve or worn hanging off the sash, the obi, of traditional Japanese costume of the Edo period (1603 - 1868). "They were the little toggles at the end of the loop," as Towne puts it.
After 1867, when the Americans arrived to open trade with Japan, the demand for netsuke fell off, their function replaced by Western clothing with pockets. Older pieces were sold off, often to Western collectors, especially after the Samurai were disenfranchised, Towne said. "The Samurai used netsuke to carry their medicine boxes and tobacco accessories" he said. And in one of those cross-fertilizations that world art encompasses, an art form the Japanese had developed in isolation inspired European Art Nouveau.
"Netsuke should fit in your hand, feel good, have a good story line and get more beautiful with use," Towne said. "They create an opening for a story to come out." He said the inspiration for a carving can come from animals, plants, mythology, stories, almost anywhere. One of Towne's most exquisite pieces is the tiny (2 inches by 1 1/4 inches) ebony netsuke illustrated here, Tribal Conflict - World Pain, which he carved in response to the Rwandan massacre. "There's no separation between their suffering and ours. We're all sharing the Earth," he said, simply.
Towne's "insistent" interest in carving began when he was laid up with a back injury in 1983. He became interested in, working in walnut shells because the color is "incredible" and "they hold a great line. A carving might only be 1/8 inch thick,- he said, "but when you're done you have only a little pile of dust." At first he carved mask forms and slowly, over time, began working in the round. "Problem solving takes time," he said. "I could only carve two or three pieces a year at first." But there isn't much anxiety in this work, he said. "There's plenty of time to contemplate."
Of course Towne is considerably more proficient now, but he still takes his time. When he acquires a new bone or fossilized material to work in, he may choose to hold on to it, unchanged, for a long time. He said he respects the shamanic tradition that says such materials have intrinsic power. "I love bones and antlers," he said. "Wood is fascinating." He said he hadn't worked in petrified wood, but his outdoorsman dad knows where he can find it when he's ready. Towne talked about million-year-old amber that's easy to carve but hard to polish, and of a rarity found in Alaska or on the Oregon coast by Lincoln City - mammoth ivory, which contains spots of dry rot.
After making about 15 walnut carvings, Towne wanted an expert to look at, his work and confirm that his work was within the netsuke tradition. He wrote to a major American patron who asked to see his work and subsequently bought six pieces. In 1991, Towne took 30 walnuts and three ivory pieces to a convention in San Francisco, where the Prince and Princess of Japan purchased three netsuke for their collection.
The exhibit at White Lotus includes a', number of Townes pendants as well', as the netsuke. "Pendants are meditations, prayers," he said. "They're things I want to see worn, lived with." After carving for 15 years, Towne has a good idea about how to work. "When I get a sense of what I want to make, I will start to shape the material. I will do the carving from that feeling. In addition to Towne's stunning netsuke carvings and pendants, work by Tanaka Ryohei, described as the foremost etcher in Japan today, are also on exhibit. These fabulous, simple black on white etchings are surprisingly affordable. Tea Fields: which shows the curved fines of cultivated fields rising above a small building with a forest in the background, is sublime. An. Old Tree is graceful and fully detailed in its clarity, while Crow #4, which shows two crows in the upper branches of a tree, evokes the need to hear a story or poetry read. In Crescent Moon, the luminous moon hangs above the rooftops and telephone poles of the town, honoring the power of simplicity