Charles Spitzack : Printmaker - The Balancing Act Of Water
The Unfinished Print : A Mokuhanga PodcastShow Notes
For many artists, an art career takes many twists and turns—an adventure shaped by different mediums, jobs, and ways of sustaining creative work while at the same time, educating oneself with the histories of your chosen path. On this episode of The Unfinished Print: A Mokuhanga Podcast, I speak with printmaker Charles Spitzack. We talk about his discovery of mokuhanga and how it connects to his broader printmaking practice. Charles shares his early experiences making mokuhanga, his teaching methods, and how his understanding of the medium developed through a Western American perspective. He also speaks about his time at the Mokuhanga Project Space, and his thoughts on the differences between oil-based and water-based mokuhanga. Please follow The Unfinished Print: A Mokuhanga Podcast and my own mokuhanga work on Instagram @andrezadoroznyprints or email me [email protected] Notes: may contain a hyperlink. Simply click on the highlighted word or phrase. Artists works follow after the note if available. Pieces are mokuhanga unless otherwise noted. Dimensions are given if known. Print publishers are given if known. Charles Spitzack - website, Instagram
Seattle Print Arts - is a printmaking association based in Seattle, Washington, United States. It maintains a membership and is dedicated to the exchange of knowledge related to various printmaking practices. More info can be found, here. High Point Center for Printmaking -is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. It is dedicated to increasing the understanding of printmaking and operates a co-op, gallery, and educational programs. More info can be found, here. Cornish College of the Arts - is an independent art college located in Seattle, Washington, United States. Its programs emphasize experimentation and critical thinking. More info can be found, here. Mokuhanga (木版画) - is a Japanese word meaning "wood" and "print." Traditionally, it refers to a relief printing method using woodblocks, water, natural handmade papers, and water-based pigments. With the rise of the sōsaku hanga (creative print) movement in the early to mid 20th century, mokuhanga expanded to include works made with Western oil pigments as well. Today, mokuhanga can be difficult to define, as many artists experiment with new approaches while others remain dedicated to traditional water-based methods. This balance between innovation and tradition shows that mokuhanga is limitless, continually evolving while still grounded in its past. sōsaku-hanga - or creative prints, is a style of printmaking which is predominantly, although not exclusively, prints made by one person. It started in the early twentieth century in Japan, in the same period as the shin-hanga movement. The artist designs, carves, and prints their own works. The designs, especially in the early days, may seem rudimentary but the creation of self-made prints was a breakthrough for printmakers moving away from where only a select group of carvers, printers and publishers created woodblock prints. Stephen Hazel (1934-20120 - was a painter and printmaker based in the Pacific Northwest. He created works on paper, and educated upon the subject. More info can be found, here.
Beautiful Display 10: Beauties of Chinatown (1977) 24" x 17 11/16" Katheleen Rabel - is an American printmaker, painter and sculptor. More info can be found, here.
Penedo Alto (sōsaku hanga) 50″ x 39″ Hideo Hagiwara (1913-2007) - was a mokuhanga printmaker who came of age during the sōsaku hanga period of the mid 20th Century in Japan. He studied printmaking with Un'ichi Hiratsuka (1896-1997). Hagiwara made prints that were expressive of the self and abstract. He taught at Oregon State University in 1967.
Lady No. 6 (1975) 24.75" x 18.25" kentō - is the registration system used by printmakers in order to line up the colour woodblocks with your key block, or outline block, carved first. floating kentō - is like the traditional kentō reg
More from The Unfinished Print : A Mokuhanga Podcast
One of the things that I have observed about mokuhanga printmakers is that they are always striving to get better in their practice. Mokuhanga is a printmaking medium that challenges the maker in many different ways, and navigating those challenges through hard work and experimentation can ultimately be a very rewarding experience. On this episode of The Unfinished Print, a mokuhanga podcast, I speak with Aafke Ytsma, a printmaker currently splitting her time between Germany and the Netherlands. Aafke is a full-time artist who pushes the possibilities of what one can do with mokuhanga. We discuss how and why Aafke makes such large prints, and how watercolour influences her work. Aafke tells me about her love for the prints of the sōsaku-hanga movement and how they inspire her own practice. We also talk about the risks and rewards of being a full-time artist, crowdfunding and grants. Aafke goes into detail about how she makes her prints through mark-making, and how that process shapes her work. Please follow The Unfinished Print and my own mokuhanga work on Instagram @andrezadoroznyprints or email me [email protected] Notes: may contain a hyperlink. Simply click on the highlighted word or phrase. Artists works follow after the note if available. Pieces are mokuhanga unless otherwise noted. Dimensions are given if known. Print publishers are given if known. Aafke Ytsma - website, Instagram
For the past few years, I have begun to study Japanese washi in my own time. As a mokuhanga printmaker, and through The Unfinished Print, I have been taught to see Japanese washi in many different ways: how it is made, how it is used, and, more importantly for me, how people view this indelible medium in our mokuhanga practice. I speak with Paul Denhoed, a paper researcher and papermaker based in Japan. I had the opportunity to attend a few of Paul's lectures here in Toronto at the Japanese Paper Place, and I came away from those lectures intrigued and wanting to learn more about Japanese washi. Paul discusses his work in Japan helping to make washi, what the term washi means, and how the different paper producers in Japan work—and don't work—together. Paul shares his experiences with Richard Flavin, and Hiroaki Imai. We look at how these experiences shaped his work today and continue to shape his work into tomorrow. We also go into detail about kōzo and one of the key ingredients in Japanese washi, neri: how it is used and how it helps create beautiful washi.
Blending different cultures, whether artistically or internationally, comes into play in everyone's mokuhanga. Your work is infused with your life, your city, your family, and even cultures from abroad. I personally think it's inescapable, and that's what makes mokuhanga such a beautiful medium to explore. On this episode of The Unfinished Print: A Mokuhanga Podcast, I speak with Inga Eičaitė, a mokuhanga printmaker who splits her time between London, England, and Lithuania. Inga and I discuss her mokuhanga work and what inspires her to make it, her love of anime, mixing different printmaking mediums with her mokuhanga, comparing the use of Korean hanji paper and Japanese washi, and making emakimono. We also discuss how community has become an important part of Inga's practice through art fairs, and Inga speaks about her time in Lithuania and her desire to help grow mokuhanga there. Please follow The Unfinished Print and my own mokuhanga work on Instagram @andrezadoroznyprints or email me [email protected] Notes: may contain a hyperlink. Simply click on the highlighted word or phrase. Artists works follow after the note if available. Pieces are mokuhanga unless otherwise noted. Dimensions are given if known. Print publishers are given if known. Inga Eičaitė - website, Instagram
Producers of mokuhanga prints who also teach art at the academic level have always intrigued me. The balance between the solitary work of a printmaker and the responsibilities of teaching a wide range of artistic disciplines must be both complex and, at times, challenging. It raises questions such as: How much of my own creative journey can I pursue while also dedicating myself to students who look to me for guidance as both an artist and a teacher? On this episode of The Unfinished Print: A Mokuhanga Podcast, I speak with Melissa Schulenburg—an independent printmaker, member of the Mokuhanga Sisters collective, and Charles A. Dana Professor of Art & Art History at St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York. Our interview explores Melissa's work as both an educator and a practicing mokuhanga printmaker. We discuss the role of tradition in her practice, how her visits to Japan, participation in MI-LAB, and involvement with the Mokuhanga Sisters have shaped her artistic development. We also take a look inside her printmaking toolbox, discussing the papers, pigments, and tools she relies on, as well as her deep connection to nature and the influence it has on her work. Please follow The Unfinished Print and my own mokuhanga work on Instagram @andrezadoroznyprints or email me [email protected] Notes: may contain a hyperlink. Simply click on the highlighted word or phrase. Artists works follow after the note if available. Pieces are mokuhanga unless otherwise noted. Dimensions are given if known. Print publishers are given if known. Melissa Schulenberg - Instagram note* Melissa's website is under construction at the time of publishing. harimaze-e (貼交絵) is a format of mokuhanga that was particularly popular during Japan's Edo period (1603–1868). It consists of a single sheet of paper onto which multiple separate images were designed and printed. These compositions could include individual scenes arranged together on one sheet, sometimes functioning as diptychs or triptychs. Harimaze-e were commonly produced in a chūban format, measuring approximately 24.8 × 36.3 cm.
The longer you create mokuhanga, the more your individual tastes reveal themselves in your own work, your style, your ideas, and your unique way of seeing the world. These are the qualities that make a mokuhanga artist or craftsperson shine, and they represent the place many practitioners aspire to reach. On this episode of The Unfinished Print: A Mokuhanga Podcast, I speak with someone who has spent decades refining his style, developing his ideas, and defining his relationship with mokuhanga at the same time exploring a variety of printmaking mediums. Daniel Kelly lives and works in Kyoto, Japan, and for many years his work has been exhibited in galleries all around the world. It can also be found in private collections and in some of the world's most important museums. We discuss Daniel's studies under Tomikichiro Tokuriki and the lasting influence Tokuriki has had on his work. Daniel explains his preference for papers from outside Japan and why he generally avoids using Japanese washi. He also details his creative process, discusses his use of multiple printmaking mediums alongside mokuhanga, and he reflects on the advantages each brings to his practice. We also talk about galleries, selling work, and Daniel's views on tradition—and how, in some cases, it can hold artists back. Please follow The Unfinished Print and my own mokuhanga work on Instagram @andrezadoroznyprints or email me [email protected] Notes: may contain a hyperlink. Simply click on the highlighted word or phrase. Artists works follow after the note if available. Pieces are mokuhanga unless otherwise noted. Dimensions are given if known. Print publishers are given if known. Daniel Kelly - website