Darumas

Most of these prints in the Daruma series are one of a kind and printed on pages assembled from different books, i.e.: steno textbooks, handwritten daily planner pages, and Korean and Japanese fiction and non-fiction books. The pages are glued together to make large square sheets, approximately 20” x 20”. Many people cannot read steno (a shorthand writing method employed by secretaries before the advent of dictation machines), and although millions of people read Korean and Japanese text, the characters have stunning graphic qualities, and there are still many people who cannot interpret these symbols. Printing on these sheets of paper, prompt the viewer to consider that there is a line of communication that they might not understand, but there are others who can read these symbols. An individual does not need to know everything to be involved with the flow of the universe, or contemplate a visual image. 

The icon of the daruma represents the concept of meditation and awakening, and the individual’s desires. In Japanese culture there is a tradition of making a wish on a papier maché daruma doll, coloring in one eye, and when the wish is fulfilled, coloring in the other eye. 

In the Daruma Series there are several different printing plates that are used to make these images. Some of the them are just inked plates printed on paper, others include objects collaged into the eye spaces: maps, gold leaf, photographs, and handwritten events (such as opera, ballet, vacation, theatre) from a retired doctor’s yearly planners. 

In many of the images, transparent ink was used for the daruma bodies to imply a sense of looking into a wise and mystical figure. Boddhisattva, (a Buddhist figure who sat in meditation so long that his arms and legs withered from his body), is also symbolized by the daruma shape. Are these darumas an instrument for awakening? It is up to the viewer, and meanings and experiences will differ from person to person.