![]() Interview with mokuhanga printmaker Mara Cozzolino and her Japanese woodblock project Memento - Mara Cozzolino is a good friend and extremely accomplished Japanese woodblock printmaker. Easy open Stanley knife/box cutter (love that it is called a 'fat max') and bulk blades The products are listed by number to match the films.ħ. ![]() I've used links to large suppliers here to make these items as accessible as possible for everyone, but if you can support your local independent suppliers, that's even better. Our best wishes for the festive season!īelow are links to some of the products I mention. Next week we are taking a break from filming to enjoy some family time. P.s.Twelve gizmos of Christmas: Useful equipment for your printmaking studio - Here are twelve inexpensive items I find useful in my studio to share with you this Christmas. I’ll leave you with a few images from the last few weeks. This is the first post I’ve managed to write since being here, as I’ve been trying to spend as much of my time as possible just sitting at my desk and making….but I will try to post again soon, as It’s a good way of reviewing what I’ve learned. Being here has made me realise that I haven’t had this much time dedicated to learning and creating work since university – 13 years ago! Phew! It’s a lot to take in, but so much fun and a it’s so exciting to be learning something which is so different from the kind of printmaking I am used to. (This mainly happens through absorption – the fibres of the kozo paper ‘drinking’ up the ink from the block.) She also showed us the different effects you can get if you alter the amount of ink, water, nori and pressure used – including ‘gomazuri’ (sesame effect), ‘mokumizuri’ (wood grain effect), and ‘bokashi’ (gradient). The damp paper is placed on the block, (prepared the day before), and a ‘baren’ is used to apply pressure on the back to transfer the ink to the paper. The block is inked up with watercolour or guache paints, using ‘Maru-bake’ and ‘Te-bake’ brushes, along with ‘Nori’ (rice paste- very important in the process). Taki San then went on to demonstrate the printing process. She then gave us a brief history of woodblock printing, and we got straight on with the technical stuff – covering ‘Iruwake’ (colour separation), the ‘kento’ registration system (the best, simplest and easiest way the register prints!), and introducing us to the tools we would be using to carve the plywood blocks – the ‘Hangi-toh’ knife, the ‘Maru-toh’ gouge, and the ‘Kento-nomi’ knife. Taki San then presented some of her work, and seeing her prints in the flesh really blew us all away – such subtle colours and textures. To start off we all did a little presentation about ourselves and our work, which was an opportunity to get an insight into each other’s art practice, and an understanding of why we were all there. The first week was very intensive, being taught all the basics of the Mokuhanga technique by Chihiro Taki – a Japanese printmaker who makes the most beautiful woodblock prints. It’s been cloudy for the last couple of days so he’s been hiding, but when he does pop up it’s as if out of nowhere…turn a corner and suddenly there he is! The residence is in a really beautiful spot – near Lake Kawaguchi, overlooked by Mount Fuji (Fujisan!). I’ve been in Japan now for 3 weeks, and so far it’s been fantastic! I started my trip with a couple of days in Tokyo being a tourist, then made my way to the Mi-Lab residence in Fujikawaguchiko to start the artist residency learning ‘Mokuhanga’ (Japanese woodblock printing).
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