For his ongoing Ukiyo-e series, Richard Carter draws from the visual language of Japanese woodblock prints, revisiting familiar imagery through processes of translation, accumulation, and reinterpretation.
Referencing artists such as Katsushika Hokusai and Utagawa Hiroshige alongside recurring motifs that move throughout his own practice, the works shift between historical source material and imagined narrative space. Across the series, imagery reappears in altered forms, creating compositions that feel increasingly layered, expansive, and independent from their points of origin.
Drawing remains central to Carter’s process, functioning both as a structural foundation and as a space for experimentation and discovery. We spoke with Carter about the origins of the Ukiyo-e series, the role of drawing within his broader practice, and the development of the newer large scale works.
Can you tell us about the inception of the Ukiyo-e series? What first drew you toward that visual language, and how did the idea begin to take shape in the studio?
The Ukiyo-e drawings came out of a series I had been working on during COVID based on a bunker, which symbolized isolation and uncertainty. I had been placing that bunker in all sorts of strange settings. One day, I was looking at one of my favorite Japanese prints from my collection and realized the bunker could fit naturally into that world.
What has always interested me about Ukiyo-e prints is how contemporary they feel, flat, graphic, no perspective, no shading. There’s something bold and immediate about them. I began revisiting books from my library and selecting some of the most recognizable works by artists like Hokusai and Hiroshige, as well as portraits and scenes from the floating world. I wanted to work with images people might already know, then reinterpret them through drawing. It became a year long immersion in something I’ve admired for a long time.
Drawing seems to play an important role in your practice. How does drawing function for you, both as a foundation and as a space for discovery?
Drawing actually came later in my practice. I began as a painter, but over time drawing became a different kind of tool for me. It started with subjects like particle collisions, the night sky, icebergs, things that let me study structure, systems, and visual complexity.
Painting and drawing may seem opposed, but for me they’re connected. Drawing is where I learn. It’s where I can experiment, observe, and follow ideas without overthinking them. More than painting, drawing has become a space of discovery.
Richard Carter, Homage to Ukiyo-e II, 2025
Prismacolor on Arches paper
40 x 60 in
You’ve recently begun working on larger scale pieces. What has changed for you in working at that size, and what makes these new works feel distinct from the earlier ones?
The larger works began almost by accident. I came across a folder of large watercolor sheets I hadn’t used in years and decided to revisit them. By that point, I felt I had reached the end of what I wanted to say with the smaller Ukiyo-e works, but there were still individual motifs I loved, koi fish, lanterns, eagles, Mount Fuji.
The large drawings became a way to bring those elements together into new compositions. Instead of referencing a single print, they combine multiple visual sources into one world. There’s more movement, more scale shifts, and more room for the imagery to interact. They feel less like reinterpretations and more like something entirely their own.
Learn more about Richard Carter and view selected works here.
