Nov 9, 2022
When making mokuhanga there are many way to get to the final
product. However you get there, you need to enjoy every single
moment you have with it. So many twists and turns, indulging your
passions with your work, anything can happen.
On this episode of The Unfinished Print I speak with printmaker
Karen Pittman. With her varied CV, Karen has explored many ways of
making, of creating. Her influences come from the traditional,
working from the ground up. Karen's mokuhanga exudes that
tradition, the patience and serenity of a seasoned mokuhanga
artist.
I speak with Karen Pittman about how she got involved with
mokuhanga, her time at Mokuhankan and David Bull, her blog; Vivid
Laboratories, he own work and what she learned from her mother as
an artist.
Please follow The Unfinished Print and my own
mokuhanga work on Instagram @andrezadoroznyprints or
email me at theunfinishedprint@gmail.com
Notes: may contain a hyperlink. Simply click on
the highlighted word or phrase.
Artists works follow
after the note. Pieces are mokuhanga unless otherwise
noted.
Karen Pittman - blog, Instagram
星空に - By Starlight
(2019)
Balcones Canyonlands (2020)
Annie Bissett - is an American mokuhanga
printmaker and graphic designer based in Rhode Island, USA. Her
work touches on politics, and beauty. Her interview with The
Unfinished Print cane be found,
here. Annie's work can be found, here.
April Vollmer - is a mokuhanga artist based in New
York City. She has been working in the medium for over thirty
years. Her book,
Japanese Woodblock Print Workshop, is a classic of the genre
and a fantastic instructional book on mokuhanga. Her interview with
The Unfinished Print can be found,
here.
Zea Mays Workshop - is a printmaking
workshop located in Florence, Massachusetts, USA. They conduct in
person and online workshops, as well as tutorials and private
lessons for many types of printmaking. More info,
here.
temari - (手まり） is a Japanese folk art where
balls are embroidered with different types of decorations. They are
used as toys, gifts, games, or for collection. More info can be
found about this delightful craft,
here. For Karen Pittman’s temari balls,
you can find them
here.
two point perspective - also known as linear
perspective, is a drawing style which creates a 3D perspective on a
two dimensional surface. It is one point of the three points of
perspective. One point perspective is where the vanishing point is
on the horizon line, and three point perspective is where three
points are on the horizon line. The above information is found on
The
Virtual Instructor, by Matt Fussell, where all points are
discussed in detail.
Naoshima (直島) - is a an island and part of an
archipelago of islands located between Shikoku and Honshu islands
in Japan. It is known for its comteporary art galleries, fishing,
and nature tourism. More info,
here.
shin hanga - is a style of Japanese
woodblock printmaking which began during the end of the ukiyo-e
period of Japanese printmaking, in the early 20th Century. Focusing
on the foreign demand for “traditional” Japanese imagery and motifs
such as castles, bridges, famous landscapes, bamboo forests, to
name just a few. Shin hanga was born in 1915 by Watanabe
Shōzaburō (1885-1962) when he found Austrian artist Frtiz
Capelari (1884-1950) and commissioned Capelari to design some
prints for Watanabe's feldgling printing house . From there
shin-hanga evolved into its own distinct “new” style of Japanese
woodblock printing. It lasted as this distinct style until its
innevitable decline after the Second World War (1939-1945).
Emil Orlick (1870-1932) - 日本の刷り師
(1901)
Yoshida Family of
Artists - The Yoshida’s are one of the most famous family
of artists from Japan. Begun with painter Yoshida Kasaburō
(1861-1894), made famous by Yoshida
Hiroshi (1876-1950) and his
work with woodblock printing. The Yoshida family has helped shape
many artists around the world. More info from the Mount Holyoke
College Art Museum,
here.
Tōshi Yoshida (1911-1995) - 白塀
(Shirobei)
Studio Ghibli -
(株式会社スタジオジブリ) is an animation production house based in
Tōkyō, Japan. The studio was founded in 1985 by Hayao Miyazaki,
Isao Takahata (1935-2018), and Toshio Suzuki. It has a long line of
animated films which have influenced artists, and animators around
the world. One such film is Princess Mononoke (もののけ姫) an historical
fantasy taking place during the Muromachi Period (1336-1573 CE) of
Japan. It is a fantasy story based on the relationship between
nature, gods, and man. More
info can be found
here for
Ghibli.
David Bull - is a Canadian woodblock
printmaker, and educator who lives and works in Japan. His love of
mokuhanga has almost singlehandedly promoted the art form around
the world. His company, Mokuhankan, has a brick and mortar store in
Asakusa, Tōkyō, and online,
here.
The Seacoast in Autumn
from the My Solitudes Series (2007-2009)
Mokuhankan - is
a brick and mortar woodblock print shop located in Asakusa,
Tōkyō. It is a learning and working space, where it sells the
works of artist Jed Henry, master carvers of the past, and various
print series. All are printed and carved by Mokuhankan printmakers
and carvers. Started by printmaker David Bull as a way to sell his
own series and reprints of old carvers of the past, Mokuhankan has
grown exponentially over the years and is a must visit when coming
to Tōkyō. More info, here.
Awagami Mini Print Exhibtion - is a an
exhibiton sponsored by the Awagami Factory. Awagami is a company
which produces washi in Tokushima, Shikoku, Japan. This exhibtion,
focuses on small size prints. More info can be found,
here.
Cameron Hilker - was an employee at
Mokuhankan from 2017-2022. Cameron worked at Mokuhankan as the
Businnes Operations and Social Media Marketing Manager.
His interview with The Unfinished Print, can be found,
here.
Asakusa, Tōkyō - is a vibrant and exciting
part of the metropolis of Tōkyō. It is rich with history, and rich
in the tradition of entertainment, theatre, and religion. Today,
Asakusa is known for it’s temple system, with Sensō-ji as its
centrepiece. Shopping, within the Nakamise, leading you from
Kaminarimon to Sensō-ji, you are surrounded by so many
opportunities to spend your money, it’s quite the experience. You
can also go to Kappa-bashi, where you can shop for kitchen-ware and
random tchochke’s. More information can be found at
gotokyo.org.
Don Quijote -
(株式会社ドン・キホーテ) founded in 1989, Don Quijote is a chain of
department stores located throughout Japan, parts of Asia and The
United States. As a discount realtor, Don Quijote caters to
tourists and locals who want a good price. More info can be found
on their website,
here.
Daiso - (
株式会社大創産業) founded
in 1977, Daiso is a discount realtor based in Japan but with
outlets throughout the world. While known for being “the 100
Yen shop", Daiso sells a variety of items at
different price points. More info, here.
Fabiola Gil Alares - is a mokuhanga artist
and business person who lives and works in Spain. Her book on
mokuhanga,
Mokuhanga: Manual Ilustrado de Xilografia
Japonesa, has become one of the go to books about mokuhanga,
in any language. Her interview with The Unfinished Print can be
found,
here. Her website can be found,
here.
Adentro
Print which Karen helped to print
when working at Mokuhankan.
Owl In Moonlight (みみずくのうたた寝）printed
by Mokuhankan. Based on a print by Utagawa Hiroshige
(1797-1858)
Shin-Torinoko paper
- is a mass produced, machine made Japanese paper that is
relatively inexpensive. It comes in various weights and colours.
More info can be found,
here.
Kitaro Japanese Paper
Company - founded in 1872, Kitaro focuses on making
high quality Japanese washi in Fukui Prefecture. More info,
here.
murasaki baren - is
a mid-range mokuhanga baren. “murasaki” meaning “purple” , come in
two types of weight (medium and heavy), and two types of sizes
(10cm and 12cm). They are reasonably priced baren.
McClains Woodblock Print
Supply Co. - based in Portland, Oregon, McClains is
the go to supplier of woodblock print tools in the United States.
Their website can be found,
here. The interview with the
Unfinished Print with Daniel Jasa of McClain’s can be found,
here.
mudabori - "waste
carving" is a technique in mokuhanga which involves the artist
carving away any unwanted wood deemed unecessary for their finished
print. These can be guides, as to where the colour blocks will be
carved, and then carved away later after it has served its purpose.
More info can be found over at Mokuhankan,
here.
Edo Period
(1603-1868 CE) pigments for mokuhanga - during the
Edo Period, mixing four or five colours was common as they were
mineral and vegetal pigments, which could last a long time.
According to Japanese Print-Making by Tōshi Yoshida,
the best colours to use for their steadfastness was sumi
(black ink), gofun (shell powder), shu (Chinese
vermillion), kuchinashi (jasmine/gardenia yellow),
ai (indigo), and taisha (red ochre).
John Amoss of
Tanuki Prints in Georgia, has
written and produced a video of some of his work with Mokuhankan,
and his experience grinding traditional pigments with their team.
You can find that,
here. From David Bull’s
woodblock.com there is a
posting about preparing powdered pigments in the traditional
method,
here. My interview with John Amoss can be found,
here.
Morning Tree by John Amoss
(2022)
Winsor & Newton - is a British artist
supply company, started in 1832, which sells artist materials
such as pigments, brushes, paper, etc. More info can be
found,
here.
Print Austin - is an annual printmaking
expo in Austin, Texas where artists of all different types of
printmaking come and show their work. As Karen says in her
interview, there are workshops, classes and interactive modules.
More info can be found,
here.
New Leaf Gallery - is a relief print focused
gallery located in Wybridge, Vermont, USA. More info can be found,
here.
Cormark International - is an international
supplier of exotic woods, and are based in South Africa. More info,
here.
Ocooch Hardwoods - is a wood supplier based
in Wisconsin. More info can be found,
here.
© Popular Wheat Productions
opening and closing musical credit - One Love (LG
Main remix) from From Illmatic to Stillmatic: The Remixes
(2002)
logo designed and produced by Douglas Batchelor and André
Zadorozny
Disclaimer: Please do not reproduce or use anything from this
podcast without shooting me an email and getting my express written
or verbal consent. I'm friendly :)
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***The opinions expressed by guests in The Unfinished Print
podcast are not necessarily those of André Zadorozny and of Popular
Wheat Productions.***
