BRAYER SARAH

Sarah Brayer, an acclaimed aquatint print artist, was born in Rochester, New York in 1957. She has lived in Kyoto, Japan since 1980, where she immersed herself in traditional and contemporary Japanese printmaking. Brayer studied at Connecticut College and Middlesex Polytechnic in London, and later trained with master printmaker Kathy Caraccio. Her early works in Japan featured detailed black-and-white etchings and aquatints, capturing quiet observations of her surroundings. 

Sarah Brayer’s Japanese prints evolved as she began exploring colour and texture through woodblock techniques and washi (Japanese paper). In 1985, she began collaging washi onto her watercolours, integrating the handmade paper into her compositions. These mixed-media prints often required up to twenty proofings to refine the combination of paper and ink. Her later works developed a freer, more fluid style, achieved by pouring hot acid onto the plate, resulting in expressive aquatint and chine-collé effects on indigo-dyed washi.

Brayer’s unique approach to printmaking has earned her international recognition. Sarah Brayer’s Japanese prints are included in the permanent collections of the British Museum, the Smithsonian’s Sackler Gallery, the Portland Art Institute, and the American Embassy in Tokyo, among others. Her works also appear in several university and corporate collections, making her a key figure in contemporary Japanese-inspired print art represented by Hanga Ten.