Queen of the Night

By Tsujikaze 辻風A single bloom fills the page, its narrow petals layered and radiating outward in pale ink wash, each one catching a slightly different weight of grey. At the center, fine threads of stamens rise in gold and pale violet, the only color in the piece. A dark, curving stem enters from the lower right, thick with ink, anchoring the flower's open sprawl. The artist's red seal sits low in the corner.This is the queen of the night, a cactus flower that opens after dark and closes again before morning, blooming perhaps once a year. In Japanese gardens where it is kept, its flowering is treated as a small occasion, sometimes watched through the night by those who know the hour is coming. Painted here at its fullest opening, it holds a beauty made sharper by how briefly it lasts.Printed as a giclée on museum-grade, archival fine art paper for lasting vibrancy and detail. An exclusive artwork, created by Tsujikaze.