For everyone listening to today's episode—especially if you're a mokuhanga printmaker—you can probably trace your first step into the art form back to a single person, someone who sparked your journey into mokuhanga, however it has evolved over time.

On this episode of The Unfinished Print: A Mokuhanga Podcast, I speak with that person for me: Elizabeth Forrest. Elizabeth was my first mokuhanga teacher, the one who encouraged me to study the practice and explore its technical depths.

Elizabeth is an accomplished printmaker with a long and varied career. We discuss her discovery of mokuhanga here in Toronto, her experiences living and working in Japan, and how she has adapted her art through life changes and culture shock. She also shares her thoughts on the importance of residencies, her love of washi, and the ways she sources her materials today.

Please follow The Unfinished Print: A Mokuhanga Podcast and my own mokuhanga work on Instagram @andrezadoroznyprints or email me [email protected]

Notes: may contain a hyperlink. Simply click on the highlighted word or phrase.

Artists works follow after the note if available. Pieces are mokuhanga unless otherwise noted. Dimensions are given if known. Print publishers are given if known.

Elizabeth Forrest : website Facebook, Instagram

Ontario College of Art & Design University : has been a mainstay of art and design education in the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada since 1876. More information, here. 

Akira Kurosaki (1937-2019) - was one of the most influential woodblock print artists of the modern era. His work, while seemingly abstract, moved people with its vibrant colour and powerful composition. He was a teacher and invented the "Disc Baren," which is a great baren to begin your mokuhanga journey with. At the 2021 Mokuhanga Conference in Nara, Japan there was a tribute exhibit of his life works. Azusa Gallery has a nice selection of his work, here.

Kyoto Seika University - located in Kyoto, Japan, is a leading private institution specializing in art and design education. It offers undergraduate and graduate programs in fields such as painting, sculpture, graphic design, and manga. Known for its rigorous curriculum, Kyoto Seika emphasizes both practical skills and creative expression. With a strong tradition of nurturing talented artists and designers, the university fosters a dynamic environment that encourages innovation and artistic growth.

sizing paper - at times mokuhanga printmakers will size their paper. Size is made from water, animal glue (rabbit, horse), and alum. What the size does is keep the pigments the artist uses from "bleeding" into the outer edges of the paper. There are many recipes of size, here is one that artist Walter J. Phillips used.

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***The opinions expressed by guests in The Unfinished Print podcast are not necessarily those of André Zadorozny and of Popular Wheat Productions.***