ABOUT

In 2005 I was commissioned by Kurodahan Press (a book company based in Fukuoka, Japan) to produce cover artwork for a series of five books in Japanese by the author Mayumura Taku (1934-2019). Run by three American ex-patriot translators, the company has a policy of commissioning Western artists to illustrate their Japanese language releases and Japanese artists for their English releases. Hikishio no Toki ('Time of the Ebb Tide') was a huge "political sci-fi" novel originally published in the 1990s in a series of five books which took the author thirteen years to write and won him Japan's Seiun Award.
For this edition of the series the client wanted abstract rather than literal imagery and I was given a broad rein, having been sent a compendium of short stories which also shared the same protagonist The Administrator. In addition to providing imagery I offered to handle the Japanese typography. as I had specific ideas as to the aesthetic I felt would best complement the imagery.
Unfortunately production stopped after just two books and plans for the concluding three installments were abandoned, however it was a great experience which introduced me to the world of book cover design.