One of a series of floral motifs rendered in the tradition of ukiyo-e and shin-hanga (early 20th-century Japanese woodblock prints). A branch of plum sweeps across the picture plane, scattered with five-petaled blossoms and tight, hard buds. Where the peony depends on layered mass and the chrysanthemum on radiating symmetry, the plum makes the line itself the hero. Neither flower nor branch is filled in solid — the entire image lives in just two tones: the background color and a pale cream line. The direction the branch travels becomes the composition. The open negative space (ma — the Japanese concept of meaningful emptiness) means the print breathes easily on a narrow wall without feeling crowded. At home in a Japanese-modern or Japandi interior, but equally at ease in a simple white-walled room. Square-format, so it works in a grid of multiples or standing alone. From the square series "Floral Motifs." Also available in peony and chrysanthemum.