Join us at the Japanese Culture Center for a special winter-themed course on Japanese Woodblock Printing! No experience necessary. All levels welcome.
Students will experience basic carvings and print the one-block printmaking process with a simple design provided by the instructor. They will also ink/color on two to three carved blocks to understand how kento, the registration mark works in Japanese printmaking.
Japanese Woodblock Printmaking:
From the earliest points in my artistic practice to the present, I have always had an affection and an interest in the beauty and precision in traditional Japanese printmaking techniques, and have at various times integrated the skills I learned from working with these techniques into my practices.
This workshop introduces students to the most compelling of these processes: Ukiyo‐e, a genre of Japanese woodblock prints with multiple carved woodblocks produced between the 17th and the 20th centuries. Known for dynamic compositions and color gradations by multiple woodblocks, Ukiyo-e’s influence on both major artists of the Western canon such as Paul Gauguin and Van Gogh will be explored alongside traditional and current Japanese artists revisiting the techniques and practices.
This introductory workshop introduces students to the processes of Japanese block printmaking focusing on inking and printing. In this one-time workshop, students will experience basic carvings and print the one-block printmaking process with a simple winter-theme design provided by the instructor. They will also ink/color on two to three carved blocks to understand how kento, the registration mark, works in Japanese printmaking.
Date: Saturday January 18
About the instructor:
Mami Takahashi is a Japanese multidisciplinary artist and a scholar working at multiple citiesincluding Portland, Chicago and Tokyo. She received her MFA in Contemporary Studio Practice from Portland State University in 2013 and earned a BFA in Japanese Painting from Joshibi University of Art and Design in Japan. For more details, visit https://mamitakahashi.art/
With ongoing artistic research, practice, and teaching, Takahashi explores different approaches to actualize Japanese aesthetics to enhance cultural perspectives to many U.S. communities. At JAF, she is expanding her creativity to incorporate more specific discourses around society, past and present via a lens of Japanese art. Takahashi also aims to connect between Japan and communities in Chicago by teaching traditional and modern art-making techniques.
