Show Notes
Embarking on the journey into the world of mokuhanga, each of us starts with a unique desire. It begins with early prints, guided by exploration, and the innate desire to create something—anything—all viewed through the prism of mokuhanga, shaping our voices in this captivating journey. In this episode of the Unfinished Print, I speak with the burgeoning mokuhanga printmaker Jack Moranetz. We discuss how he got involved in the art form, his early prints, his visit to Japan and meeting David Bull, collaborations, and how he approaches his printmaking.
Please follow The Unfinished Print and my own mokuhanga work on Instagram @andrezadoroznyprints or email me at [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. Jack Moranetz - website, YouTube, Etsy Awagami - is arguably the largest paper making company in Japan at the moment. With a large International name, Awagami sponsors, and promotes its paper all over the world. More information can be found on its website, here. Dick Blick Art Supplies - is an art supply store with various brick and mortar stores throughout the United States, as well as online. Founded in 1911 by Dick Blick in Galesburg, Illinois, BLICK, as it's more commonly known, sells various types of art supplies, much like Jerry's Artarama. More info, here. linocut - is a printmaking technique in which a design is carved into a sheet of linoleum with specialized cutting tools. The carved linoleum surface is then inked, and paper is pressed onto it to create a print. Linocut is a relief printing method, similar to woodcut, but it uses linoleum instead of wood as the printing surface. Linocut is popular for its versatility and is used in both fine art and craft applications. Michael's Art Supplies - is a big box art supply store located throughout North America. More info can be found, here. brayer - is a roller with a handle used to apply ink to a printing surface. It typically consists of a cylindrical rubber roller attached to a handle. Printmakers use the brayer to evenly distribute ink over the surface of a printing block, such as linoleum or wood, before pressing it onto paper or another substrate. The brayer ensures a smooth and uniform ink coverage, allowing for clear and consistent impressions during the printing process. Artists can control the amount of ink applied by rolling the brayer over an ink slab or palette before transferring it to the printing surface. Brayers are an essential tool in various printmaking techniques, including linocut, woodcut, and monotype. Bender - is a fictional character in the animated television series "Futurama," created by Matt Groening. Bender is a robot with a humanoid appearance and a distinctive metal body. He is known for his irreverent and sarcastic personality, as well as his love for bending girders and other metal objects. He serves as one of the main characters in the series. 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.
Chapter 9 - The Seacoast In Winter, from the My Solitudes series (2007) Twitch - is a widely-used live streaming platform, initially focused on video game streaming and e-sports, but later expanding to include diverse content like music and art. Acquired by Amazon in 2014, Twitch allows users to broadcast live video content, interact with viewers through a real-time chat feature, and offers features such as e-motes and subscriptions. Streamers create communities around their content, and viewers can engage by subscribing to channels for exclusive benefits. Twitch has become a prominent pla
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