Ayaka Asano
Grape Hyacinth Sisters
20x20 cm
Etching print with hand coloured monotype
Edition of 10
2025
Grape Hyacinth Sisters (2025) is a cheerful celebration of spring’s simple, multiplying joys. Based on the happy stories Asano gathers while out—tales of muscari blooming reliably from bulbs and expanding joyfully once they take root in the soil—this piece embodies a sense of playful expectation. She describes the feeling simply as a "cheerful spring."
This botanical scene is contained within one of Asano’s signature, irregular intaglio silhouettes. Within this gem-like form, several distinct grape hyacinth stems cluster together, their compact purple blossoms defined by delicate etched lines and rich lavender watercolour washes. They emerge from a thriving, textured base of mossy green and yellow watercolour, suggesting a resilient soil bed.
Because of this hand-painted monotype process, the physical print is beautifully fragile. The sharp intaglio lines anchor the composition, whilst the washes of transparent watercolour give the piece a soft, luminous quality, meaning each individual print in the edition possesses its own unique tonal variations.
