Mokuhanga Japanese Woodblock Prints

The Vermont Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts funded my printmaking project through the Artist Development Grant 2021-22. During this time, I focused on exploring non-toxic printmaking techniques at the Two Rivers Printmaking Studio in White River Junction, VT. Initially, I started with traditional woodblock printing by carving birch and pine wood panels. Images were printed with an etching press on Japanese papers using Akua (soy based) inks.

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My secondary focus was on Mokuhanga, which is a traditional Japanese water-based woodblock printmaking process. It involves using a handheld bamboo barren to print the woodblock. I carved the images onto Shina wood using Japanese carving tools, and created a Japanese kento registration for each image. Nori (rice paste), gauche, and sumi ink were applied using a Surikomi bake to the carved wood images and printed on Japanese papers, using a hand- held bamboo baren. The specialty techniques used in the prints included Beta-zuri, Bokashi, and Goma-zuri.