Laura Boswell is one the most productive mokuhanga and linocut printmakers working today. Not only does she print, she co-produces a popular art podcast called Ask An Artist, and with her husbands help The Talented Mr. B, she also produces instructional videos on YouTube on mokuhanga and lino cut. Her output these days is inspiring and exceptional. In this episode of The Unfinished Print I speak with Laura about her creativity, her history with mokuhanga, her podcast and her ideas, her book and on mokuhanga itself.

Please follow The Unfinished Print and my print work on Instagram @popular_wheatprints, Twitter @unfinishedprint, or email me at [email protected]

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

Laura Boswell - website

Ask An Artist Podcast - website

Nagasawa Art Park - is a program which stopped in 2011 and has since moved to MI-Lab (Mokuhanga Inovation Laboratory) at Lake Kawaguchi. It is a program dedicated to the art of mokuhanga and hosts artist in residence programs.

Wood-like Matsumura - an incredibly important online and brick and mortar store located in Nerima City, Tokyo.

diptych - is a two panel print sometimes pasted together making one single image seen in a lot of ukiyo-e and mokuhanga.

Awagami Paper Factory - located in Yoshinogawa Village on Shikoku Island in Japan, is a paper making company which produces Japanese paper called washi. You can purchase their papers online here.

Near Applecross - a series of prints by Laura made in different colours and a couple of designs can be found on her archive here.

Awaji Island - is an island linking the mainland of Hōnshu to the island of Shikoku by the Kobe-Awaji-Naruto Expressway (神戸淡路鳴門自動車道) Awaji Island has a rich history and culture and can be researched here.

Buckinghamshire, England - is a country in the South-East of England near Oxford. It has a lovely natural beauty and a long history. Find more information here.

Peter Keegan - co-host and co-producer of the Ask An Artist podcast with Laura and is an established painter in his own right. You can find more information about Peter's work here.

Making Japanese Woodblock Prints - Laura Boswell's book on how to make Japanese woodblock prints, or mokuhanga. It is rich in information and a great book for beginners and seasoned mokuhanga printmakers alike. Purchase the book here.

Michael Harding - makes oil paints. More information can be found here.

Artist Support Pledge - information can be found here.

mica - is a mineral, when ground, is used in mokuhanga. It was famously used in several ōkubi-e (large head prints)by the artist Sharaku (active 1794-1795). It is held onto the paper via a paste, or gum-arabic. David Bull writes about how to use mica on woodblock.com.

bokashi - a technique used in mokuhanga which fades colour, usually in landscape prints especially in the sky. Made famous by the landscape prints of Hiroshige. Printmaker John Amoss writes a fine description of bokashi on his blog.

Will Francis - a mokuhanga carver and printer based in England. He collaborates with artist Jed Henry who also works with David Bull of Mokuhankan. His website can be found here, his patreon can be found here.

Holbein - a company which makes many colours for artists.

opening and closing credit background music: The Black Eyed Peas, Karma, from their first record, Behind The Front. (1998)

© Popular Wheat Productions

Disclaimer: Please do not reproduce or use anything from this podcast without shooting me an email and getting my express written or verbal consent. I'm friendly :) The opinions expressed in The Unfinished Print podcast are not necessarily those of Andre Zadorozny and of Popular Wheat Productions.