Moku Hanga Monday Bunday

                                                                                                                                                                 

Moku Hanga is the art of Japanese woodblock printing. The most well known examples of Moku Hanga are the Ukiyo-e or floating world prints. There are a few contemporary artists pursuing this ancient art and I was lucky to attend a weekend workshop with one of them, April Vollmer. Along with 10 other like minded persons I learned the basics for cutting, registering, and printing woodcuts. New words like Kento, Toh, Goma, and Bokashi  were learned by necessity. It is definitely not as easy as April makes it

look. Tyler and Sydney did not attend (you really need thumbs to do this) but were very much present in my little 7 1/2 by 6 inch design. Having spent a good deal of time in the Print Studio at UCSC just years and years ago, after about two prints, even though it wasn't going so well because I'd gotten my poor block all blocked up, I fell into the old enchantments of printing. First to get that perfect print that somehow transcends your original drawing and be able to do it again and again, well at least a couple more times. And second the intoxication of multiplicity, I think something happens your brain when you see lots and lots of an image that you worked on but now it is in reverse (remember the print is "backwards" from the block). It is somehow sheer delight. At any rate I had a great time getting back into printing and now I shall have to get some printing supplies and try to get some more good prints. I gave April the best one, she certainly deserved it. She is going to give another workshop in August if interest is strong enough, inquire about it at Cabrillo Extension. Also check out this other contemporary Moku Hanga artist, David Bull.