The Nature of Mokuhanga: Modern Japanese Woodblock Printing
with Charles Woodruff Coates
$100 lab fee | June 14–20 | Skill-building
Mokuhanga, or woodprint, is the modern Japanese term for woodblock prints made with traditional Japanese tools and materials, a process that flourished from the 17th through the 19th century. Students in this class will learn the time-honored methods and techniques of Japanese woodblock printmaking in a contemporary way. Focused demonstrations will feature wood carving, kento color registration, watercolor printing, and pressing with a handheld baren. Design prompts may be provided alongside Japanese design, aesthetics, and process books, including Arthur Wesley Dow’s Composition: Understanding Line, Notan and Color and April Vollmer’s Japanese Woodblock Print Workshop. Students will view examples of mokuhanga, including historic process prints and contemporary Japanese pieces. Additionally, the class will screen Mary Brodbeck’s 35-minute documentary, Becoming Made (2014), in which artists Annie Bissett, Yoshisuke Funasaka, Tuula Moilanen, Richard Steiner, April Vollmer, and Karen Kunc share their insights into this process and the nature of creative work. Focusing on the process, students will be assigned to create an edition of 10 prints of their design that incorporates two or more colors. Students are encouraged to bring a preliminary drawing of their desired image, designed to fit within a 7-by-10-inch matrix (9-by-12-inch paper size).
Charles Coates (he/him) is an artist and educator who specializes in relief printing. As the founder of Block Paper Print, he teaches both in-person and online courses that make printmaking accessible to all skill levels. His large-format woodcut prints depict gothic cathedrals and relates them to contemporary notions of the self as works-in-process, are featured in collections across Boston, Tokyo, and Palo Alto. Charles holds an MFA and Gallup StrengthsCoaching certification. He currently teaches at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts and conducts workshops for individuals and teams.