Matt Brown is a philosopher of mokuhanga. It can be so very easy to get lost in the technique and the minutiae of what we do that the philosophical elements of the art form can be lost. In my interview with printmaker and teacher Matt Brown we try to get to the heart of the woodblock print. Through Matt’s stories and his desire to understand his passion we move along various topics such as his inspirations, his way of working, and what exactly does “limits are form,” mean?

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Show Notes: all links are hyperlinked. Just click!

Matt Brown Fine Art - Matt’s site dedicated to his space and the artists represented. Ooloo Press: Matt Brown Woodblock Prints site with history, shop, and gallery is a good introduction to what Matt is doing.  Dartmouth College/Hood Museum

Hiroshige 53 Stations of the Tōkaidō

The Phillips Collection Washington DC

Museum Of Fine Arts in Boston’s show of Kuniyoshi Utagawa (1798-1861), and Kunisada Utagawa (1786-1864) was a huge show for the museum and was very well received.

Suzuki Harunobu (1724-1770) was one of the earliest printmakers who made nishiki-e, or multi block prints.  Utamaro Kitagawa (1753-1806) - a printmaker famous for his large head prints or ōkubi-e, especially of women.  Paul Binnie’s Grand Canyon print of 2007

Kevin Francis - his website containing all relevant information regarding his work and process.  David Bull/Mokuhankan 

Arthur Dow (1857-1922) - American teacher and printmaker who connected with academic of Japanese history and art Ernest Fenellosa (1853-1908) who introduced Dow to ukiyo-e. The above link from the Smithsonian shows the few prints Dow made. He also wrote a book called “Composition” that Matt brought up in our interview which is very good.

Frances Gearhart (1869-1958) - a California based water-colourist and printmaker whose prints are an excellent example of the vast landscape of the California countryside. The link is of an excellent website dedicated to her work.  Hiroshi Yoshida (1876-1950) - his encyclopedia of woodblock prints is a go to in order to understand the techniques of mokuhanga.  Walter J Philips (1884-1963) - one of the most important printmakers in my opinion. English born but a career that was cultivated here in Canada. Walter J Philips watercolour and woodblock print landscapes, much like Frances Gearhart and her California landscapes, show Canada in its splendour. He also made his own tools and was largely self-taught. His catalogue raisonné is worth a look.  Helen Frankenthaler (1928-2011) - was an abstract painter who also made woodcuts in the 1970’s. Please check out frankenthalerfoundation.org

opening credit background music: So Far So Good...So What by CIV (1995)

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