Inspector's report · 2026
Rendered entirely in cobalt blue. No black outline, no second colour.
Fine-line dragons in the Chinese tradition winding over arms, legs and skulls, geisha, kitsune and Hokusai waves, all treated as if painted onto Tang dynasty porcelain, with dotwork and negative space standing in for glaze. It has a name, ceramic skin, and it is unmistakably his.
Blue pigment is unforgiving. It reads lighter, needs more care to hold and shows every inconsistency, which is precisely why so few artists attempt a monochrome in it and why his control of value and line within a single hue is among the technical achievements of this list. He works by consultation at Studio Sashiko in Los Angeles.
Inspector's note
The only artist in this Top 10 whose signature did not exist 5 years ago. Style innovation at its most complete. Retained.
