Summer School: Mokuhanga

During this comprehensive 5-day workshop, you will be guided through each step to create a multi-block water-based woodcut print, introducing you to the traditional Japanese craft of mokuhanga.

This printmaking medium is perfect for anyone interested in a non-toxic, water-based, table-top printmaking technique, without the use of a mechanical press. Though the techniques employed are complex and precise, mokuhanga offers the benefits of slowing down and paying attention to the nuance of touch and sensitivity required to gauge the depth of the carved wood, the dampness of the washi paper and the pressure you use in printing by hand.

Over the course of the workshop, you will learn the skills to transfer a simple multi-colour image to Japanese plywood, carve various colour separation blocks in relief and print on mulberry paper with watercolours and rice starch.

Using a variety of hand held ‘baren’ presses, you gain the experience to achieve various print effects, from ‘goma zuri’ (sesame printing) to 'beta zuri' (flat colour) 'mokume zuri' (woodgrain printing) and ‘bokashi’ (colour gradations), while registering your multi-block image through the simple but brilliant traditional ‘kento’ registration system.

You will be sure to fall in love with both the process and results of this intricate, accessible, mediative, water-based printmaking method which provides endless possibilities.

This course is suitable for anyone, both those with previous experience of mokuhanga, woodcut, or relief printmaking and those completely new to the technique. The content of the course will be catered individually to suit all learners to expand on their existing knowledge or to begin their journey into mokuhanga.

About the Tutor

Based in rural Northumberland, after spending a year as artist-in-residence with Visual Arts in Rural Communities (VARC), my practice is predominantly residency-based. Since graduating from London College of Printing in 2002, I was awarded a 2 year residency at Manchester School of Art, where I also worked as an Associate Lecturer until 2010. In 2011 I relocated to Japan, where my interest in printmaking developed through the MI-LAB residency program. Works are held in public and private collections including Tate Britain, Yale Center for British Art, Stanford University, Chelsea College of Art, Manchester Metropolitan University, State Library of Queensland and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Recent work has been presented at Art Toronto, The London Art Fair and The University of Hawai’i, where I received the Awagami Paper Prize.