North Art Summer Show Exhibition

Thanks to my wonderful friend Patrick who helped me hang my woodblock prints for the North Art Gallery Summer Show. Thanks also to Adrian for curating the event. The preview was fab and the show will be up for 4 week so do pop in and say hello! 

Hanging the Woodblock prints

Netsuke Miniature Prints

Save The Elephants

£5 from the sale of each print will be donated to Save The Elephants. 

Through my interest in Japanese antique netsuke, I have become more aware of the ivory trade that is still in operation today. 

Save The Elephants are a founding partner of the Wildlife Conservation Network in the US which transmits 100% of donated funds to the field. 

"Our mission: to secure a future for elephants and to sustain the beauty and ecological integrity of the places they live; to promote man’s delight in their intelligence and the diversity of their world, and to develop a tolerant relationship between the two species."

Save The Elephants continue their research to find solutions to reduce conflict, end poaching, trafficking and the demand for ivory. They raise awareness and provide internships and scholarships in conservation education. 

Inspiration for the Project

The Hare with the Amber Eyes by Edmund De Waal

This book was the inspiration for my journey into the wood. Each woodblock is hand printed with a baren using Japanese carbon ink on white hosho paper. The description 'NETSUKE’ is debossed with 10pt New Clarendon metal type printed on the adana 8 x 5 printing press.

The space invites you to take a quiet moment and sit on the cushion provided and read from the book if you wish. There are also hand printed bookmarks for you to take away.  

Other Artists exhibiting at North Summer Show 2018 include:

Show Miche Watkins, Tina Altwegg, Gareth Pitt, Sarah V Penrose, Ian Pillidge, Jane Warring, Jess Stevenson, David Brown, Tony Eastman, Victoria Fox, Ian Usher, Caroline McGlone, Lenny, Andrew Wilson and Luz Gallardo-Franco.

North Art

Gallery Opening Hours

Thursday 2pm - 6pm

Friday 2pm - 6pm

Saturday 10am - 4pm

Sunday 10am - 2pm

...and by appointment; please email contact@northart135.com

Carving out 7 minutes of Time

DEER - A short film 

Recently I made a print of a deer. In my last post I showed a brief glimpse of the process through images and talked about the inspiration behind the print. What I forgot to mention was that before I started carving the woodblock, I set up my tripod and mobile phone, and recorded the process.  

So here's a short film (speeded up into 7 mins) following the process of carving the woodblock from start to finish accompanied by music and a poem by John Drinkwater.

I am aware that we are bombarded with SO much information these days and 7 minutes of carving a piece of wood may just be too painfully long to endure, but I like to think it might be worth ‘carving' out a little piece of time to watch this film for seven moments of tranquility.

I hope you enjoy it. 

A Miniature Woodblock Print from Mokuhankan

Mokuhankan Patreon - Miniature woodblock print from the Mokuhankan studio - design by John Amoss. 

Woodblock Printmaker David Bull

I’ve been following David Bull’s woodblock printing website for a few years now and what I love about David is his absolute passion and dedication to woodblock printing and generosity of sharing his process. He has built an online extensive encylopedia dedicated to woodblock printing. This wealth of information includes advice on tools for carving, sharpening stones, tools for printing, wood for carving, printmaking papers, sizing recipes, pigment and paste recipes. Whatever you’re looking for this is definitely a fantastic place to explore.  

http://www.woodblock.com/encyclopedia/index.html

Mokuhankan

David is based in Tokyo at his studio Mokuhankan where he has a number of carvers and printers working with him in the studio to create exquisite original woodblock prints and reproductions of some well known prints including those of Hiroshige and Hokusai.

David also produces videos which give a real insight into his world of woodblock printing. (Almost 100 videos to choose from on Youtube!) He has created a series of Ukiyo-e Heroes with illustrator Jed Henry, a Hiroshige reproduction of ‘Heron and Irises’ - edition printed by Ayumi Ohashi, a reproduction of Hokusai’s ‘Great Wave’. His latest video shows the whole process, in real time, from start to finish, carving and printing the well known Japanese woodblock print ’Female Nude Seated in Water’. Original design by Ichijô Narumi (1877~1910).

I recommend anyone with an interest in woodblock printing to check out David’s amazing world of woodblock printing at woodblock.com, mokuhankan.com and his YouTube Channel here: https://www.youtube.com/user/seseragistudio/videos

Mokuhankan Patreon - To our fans and supporters - a miniature woodblock print - design by John Amoss.

Patreon

By becoming a patron ‘Patreon Chibi’ I am now a patron of David’s work and just before the New Year I received my first miniature woodblock print from the Mokuhankan studio - design by John Amoss. 

Beautiful Japanese postage stamps too : ))

"Mokuhankan is my attempt to see if traditional woodblock printmaking can perhaps find a place in contemporary society. I am going to publish some prints - on a very small scale at first - and see if I can find the combination of image, quality, price, and presentation, that will achieve that goal." David Bull

Thank you David and John and all the production crew at Mokuhankan. I think traditional woodblock printmaking certainly can find a place in contemporary society. Your print is a joy to behold. 

Japanese Woodblock Printing with Laura Boswell

A question I keep hearing recently is ‘Does this add value to my life?' It’s a question The Minimalists ask themselves throughout their daily lives. I recently saw their wonderful film Minimalism about how having less is definitely more.

What adds value to your life?

It’s a useful question and one that I’m beginning to look into a little deeper. For a few years now I’ve been exploring a few different printing methods. From rubber stamp printing to linocutting, to letterpress and more recently woodblock printing. Through the process of exploration I’ve come to find that the process of woodblock printing resonates with me the most. I am drawn to the process from beginning to end, from sketching an image, transferring the image onto the woodblock, then carving the image into the wood, dampening the paper and finally making a print with the baren. I love the materials used in the process and the way it helps me to slow down, focus and be more present. This process definitely adds value to my life. So I wonder why then I seem to be spending the least amount of time actually woodblock printing? 

Laura creating Kento registration marks

Woodblock BLOCK!

One reason might be my slight phobia of multi-colour printing. I have continued to tell myself that I have woodblock BLOCK and a fear of creating a multi-colour print. It’s not as though I haven’t made a multi-colour print. I’ve been on a couple of group courses where I came away very happy with my colourful prints. But I also came away with that overwhelming feeling that the registration process was still somehow out of my reach. I had not asked enough questions. There was not always time or space in a group setting. When I had tried to make a multi-colour print back at my studio, each time the blocks wouldn’t line up but I couldn’t figure out what I was doing wrong. It was as if I had been transported back to the school maths class but this time the tutor had vanished. The 'how to' books and online videos were not helping. So it remained a complicated puzzle that I just could not unravel and so I put all the mistakes back in the drawer and froze. 

What I really needed was a one-to-one session with a printmaker with a hefty plunger who could help remove this gigantic blockage. Someone at my side to show me the process, who I could directly ask questions at any point in the day without interruption and be able to extinguish those burning questions in a moment. That someone was indeed the wonderful printmaker extraordinaire, Laura Boswell.

Printing my woodblocks 

Thank you Laura Boswell

Laura simplified the registration process for me, she made the whole woodblock printing process very accessible. She took measurements off the map, put my fears to rest and renewed my faith in my own ability to go forward with the process. Her down to earth approachable manner made the whole day a complete joy. 

So thank you Laura for helping to unblock the woodblock BLOCK and restoring my confidence. Your woodblock printing course has definitely added value to my life! 

Call for Entries - AIMPE 2017

Two years ago when I was searching barens at Intaglio Printmakers in London, I stumbled across a leaflet with a call out for entries for Awagami International Miniature Print Exhibition held in Japan. I was in the early stages of my woodblock project focusing on mini woodblock prints of Japanese netsuke. AIMPE sounded like the perfect place to submit my prints but I wasn’t ready. And the following year I still wasn't ready.

This year I'm ready! : ))

In the last few weeks I have been working on ideas for a new woodblock print for the exhibition. Last week I submitted my application and this morning I posted two mini woodblock prints to Japan! 

The mini prints will be revealed once the exhibition launches in October. 

"Awagami Factory is a brand of Japanese washi papers produced solely in Tokushima, Japan. Awagami operates on 8 generations of family knowledge and skill focusing on quality and refinement within this world-heritage craft.” Awagami