Wayne "Nobushi" Fuji'i

Born in post-World War II Tokyo, W. Nobushi Fuji'i spent his childhood in a rural village in the mountains near Nagano, Japan.

He received a degree in Architecture from The School of Environmental Design at The University of California Berkley, where he also studied photography with William Garnett. From there, Fuji'i embarked on a 30-year career in photojournalism specializing in architecture and landscape architecture and worked as both editor and photographer for Global Architecture publications. His work has also been featured in Progressive Architecture, Architectural Record, Canadian Architect, Harper's Bazaar, House Beautiful, and The L.A. Times. His photographs have also been included in exhibits at The Centre Pompidou in Paris, France: The GA Gallery in Tokyo, Japan; The Alexander Hamilton Museum in Charlestown, Nevis; The Southern Vermont Arts Center in Manchester, Vermont; Frog Hollow VT State Craft Center galleries; and in numerous private collections.

Fuji'i is known for his skillful use of available light and in his Exquisite Vermont Image series, he endeavors to capture the luminosity and translucency evoked by the ever-changing light of the distinct seasons, inherent in the rural landscapes and life in Vermont. Nobu uses a digital darkroom to perfect his images, employing a process somewhat analogous to Ansel Adam's Zone system.

Sources of inspiration for Fuji'i include ancient Japanese artists such as Hokusai and Koetsu, having been exposed to their works since childhood. Above all, he admires the 17th century haiku master, Basho, best known for his collection of works, Narrow Road to the Interior. The poignancy of Basho's observations and the brevity of words with which he masterfully translated glimpses of the world around him taught young Fuji'i a way of observing and appreciating the extraordinary in the otherwise ordinary scene.

Fuji'i has lived in the mountains of southern Vermont since 1981 and continues his work on Exquisite Vermont Images, which he considers to be a form of visual haiku and his homage to Basho.