I was fascinated by these designs on my first trip there, and was amazed to see such bold and evocative images on such tiny items.

I began to research and collect examples, from which I have developed my prints. The match industry was important in Japan at the turn of the 19th / 20th century and box labels advertised the brand, as well as being used by newly-established cafes, bars and hotels as advertising. Since smoking was much more popular then, it was a very effective strategy.

Matchbox label design became an art form in its own right and people began to save and collect the labels. This led to special-edition sets of matchboxes being produced and top designers being commissioned. Many of these designs retain a charm and mark a moment in history of forward-looking Japan at the beginning of the 20th century, which I hope you will enjoy with me.

So why is my name Grumpy Daruma? Well, on that trip to Japan I also fell in love with ‘Daruma dolls’ – papier mache embodiments of the Zen Buddhist Bodidharma who is depicted with a grumpy expression (probably from meditating for 7 years straight).

I feel it suits me well.