Images of Japan: Landscapes and Architecture

During the summer of 2002, I traveled in Japan for several weeks with a US Educators tour sponsored by the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry of New York. I photographed the architecture and landscape of this Asian country concentrating on the attention paid to detail and order.
These images explore my response to the traditions of Japan and their relationship to formal issues of design motifs. My concerns center on the lines and shapes indigenous to Japanese architecture. These, combined with balance and symmetry, create a serene atmosphere reminiscent of this Asian culture.
I use an old Rolliflex camera and the technique of hand-applying a B&W emulsion onto watercolor paper. I alter the image further through the use of paint, charcoal and pencil to achieve a balance between machine and hand.