This workshop explores texture in mokuhanga, the Japanese method of water-based woodblock printing, as both a visual and tactile language. Participants will experiment with carving techniques that create a variety of surfaces, from deep reliefs to subtle grain patterns, learning how the baren’s pressure and the block’s texture can transform a print.

We will look to artists such as Shikō Munakata, whose bold, gouged surfaces expressed spiritual vitality; Kiyoshi Saitō, who emphasized woodgrain and simplified form; and Hiroshi Yoshida, who used fine gradations and embossing to evoke atmosphere. Students will carve and print using the natural grain of shina plywood and explore how brushwork, baren rubbing, and pigment application can heighten the sense of touch and movement within the image.

All levels are welcome. Materials are provided.

Patty Hudak is an artist living in Underhill VT. She has practiced mokuhanga (Japanese woodblock printing) since 2016. She studied at the Mokuhanga Innovation Laboratory in Yamanashi, Japan, as well as in the studio of Motoharu Asaka in Tokyo. In 2020, her solo exhibition, Indigo and Ink, was exhibited at SVAC, along with her installation, There, Through the Broken Branches, Go. She was a co-organizer, with Mokuhanga Sisters, in SVAC’s 2021-2022 exhibition of contemporary mokuhanga prints, The World Between the Block and the Paper. Hudak is a recipient of the Vermont Arts Council’s 2018-2019 Creation Grant, Vermont Artists to Watch in 2020, and the International Mokuhanga Conference 2021 Awagami Paper Award.

www.pattyhudak.com/