Review by Nellie Escalante
As a printmaker, I was so excited to receive Japanese
Woodblock Print Workshop: A Modern Guide to the World of Mokuhanga by April Vollmer. I don’t know much about this
kind of printmaking, mokuhanga, but I
was excited to find out more.
From the moment the book was delivered it into my hands, and I opened the
package, I was impressed. It was a lot thicker than I thought and the cover was
absolutely beautiful.
Japanese Woodblock Print Workshop
has an approachable tone but also reads like a manual, giving step by step, methodical
instructions in creating a work with this printing system. I am accustomed to
reading printmaking books that are crafty in nature, about having fun with the
art form; the very nature of printmaking is about the everyday and the ease in
which one can make an impression. But this book conveys printmaking as serious
business. This is indeed a workshop, just as the title suggests. You come
to this book to learn and to work, and I like that.
The author, herself, is a serious student of
this art form. Vollmer completed her MFA in printmaking at Hunter College (also
my alma mater) and worked with Vincent Longo, an abstract artist who moved
easily between printmaking and painting. She sought mokuhanga after graduate school because it was a water based
technique and suited her needs as an artist printmaker in a small studio.
However, this does not mean that a novice
wouldn’t also enjoy Japanese Woodblock Print Workshop. Vollmer states, “I have tried to balance my respect
for the careful craftsmanship of Japanese professionals with the desire to make
the technique accessible.” Elsewhere in the book she says, “with experience,
artists can develop an approach to woodblock printing that reflects their
practical situation, technical ability and available resources.”
Vollmer takes us back to the history of Japanese
woodblock printmaking, the tools and materials needed to carry out this art
form, a step by step guide to create a print, and a chapter on new directions
in this medium. The book also includes many exquisite illustrations and photos
and is packed with information about tools, techniques, and paper. At the end
of the tome, Vollmer, generously, offers countless resources such as a list of online
and print magazines, classes, conferences, residencies, a dense bibliography, and
other printmaking opportunities.
This was an absolute feast for the mind and
eyes. I would recommend this book to serious students of printmaking, someone
who already has a basic knowledge of the art form and would like to delve more
into the world of the Japanese woodblock print, or, in other words, mokuhanga. I know I will!
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