My residency was one of the best decisions I could have made regarding delving deeper into the marvelous world of Japanese woodblock printmaking.The location of the School couldn't be better, as it's easily reached from Tokyo and is surrounded by the beautiful and quiet town of Karuizawa, which only adds to the creative inspiration and to the whole experience!The School provides every tool or resource a carver or printmaker could ever need regardless of their level, from first time carvers to seasoned artists or artisans.All the knowledge I obtained during my one month stay in this School is invaluable!Camilo Díaz Ocampo (México) 2019
My week with Terry was one of the most beautiful times during my traveling in Japan. Mokuhanga is an amazing, sophisticated art. Terry is a great teacher, he is always around, has lots of patience and you can tell pretty quickly that he is doing mokuhanga, and teaching, with love.The appartment is really nice and cozy and Karuizawa is a beautifull town, it reminded me of Europe. I learned so much, became a better artist. Can not recomend this more.Tamar Daniel (Israel) - 2019
Mokuhanga is a diverse and flexible medium for professional artists to add to their skills or even to focus on as a professional printmaker. We believe it should be the medium of choice for eco-conscious printmakers throughout the world and we want to share our knowledge with you.
You don't however need to be a professional Artist to learn and enjoy mokuhanga. Anyone can learn and enjoy the fulfilling experience of producing their own original woodblock print. In Japan people from all walks of life have learnt and still make mokuhanga for their own enjoyment, from school children, to hobbyists, to professional artists.
The traditional Japanese woodblock printing technique is highly versatile, environmentally friendly and inherently beautiful. In your residency or our workshops you will learn to create your own multi-colour, multi-block prints using the traditional registration system combined with both traditional and contemporary carving and printing techniques. You will also try and learn about the beautifully crafted tools and equipment of this historic tecnique.
For the last several years we have focussed on providing a range of workshops throughout Australia, occasionally travelling overseas to teach. We will regularly return to Australia and New Zealand so keep an eye on our workshops page, or join our email list to keep notified.
Mokuhanga is the traditional water based printing technique, originating in China and perfected in Japan.
A print is created through design, carving blocks for each colour, then printing each colour successively until the print edition is completed.
Mokuhanga is the Japanese word for wood block print. The Japanese characters 木版画 are 木 wood, 版 block and 画 picture.
In Japan its meaning is the print itself, but in general contemporary use it means both the print and the technique. Mokuhanga is growing in popularity worldwide as learning becomes more accessible to people outside of Japan.
Mokuhanga is chemical free, non-toxic, environmentally friendly, uses relatively simple hand tools and equipment and requires little space to produce beautiful work. The natural beauty of the materials - wood, pigment and hand-made paper are all retained and enhance each other. A great choice for Artists or any creative person!
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This is a short video showing teacher Terry McKenna making one of his mokuhanga...
Check Residency and Tuition availability here...