Been thinking about doing something with this for a long time. This is based on Matisse's, "The Green Line," a painting I've liked for years.

The first 'shin hanga' style image I did was a Rembrandt self portrait and it started a small group of portraits done in this way. Shin Hanga was an early 20th century woodblock revival in Japan but it brought in a lot of western ideas, sometimes using perspective, shading and other such things. I've found some that are typical subjects for prints, Kabuki actors, but instead of being highly stylized, they're a mix of traditional imagery and something of a likeness.

The challenge for me in doing this sort of thing is to mix the styles while keeping the image recognizable. The most notable thing in the Matisse original, besides the colors, is the brushwork. There is none in mine. Details have to be boiled down without losing the feel. What I ended up with feels good to me but is so simple that I'm sure it will seem easy, or too simple. That's ok. I'm happy with it.