Yoonmi Nam is an artist whose work dances between emptiness and the frailty of things. What's left behind, and the beauty that comes from that. Yoonmi’s work reminds me of the kuchi-e prints of the early twentieth century where space and soft colour creates prints that draw the viewer into the work. 

In this episode of The Unfinished Print I speak with Yoonmi Nam about her mokuhanga, the materials used in her work, and what attracts her to the medium. We also go into detail about her travels around the world, the “other” and how that feeling is worked into her mokuhanga and lithography, and much much more. 

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

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

Yoonmi Nam - website, Instagram 

The Mokuhanga Sisters - are a mokuhanga collective consisting of Yoonmi Nam, Mariko Jesse, Lucy May Schofield, Melissa Schulenberg, Kate MacDonagh, Katie Baldwin, Mia-O, Patty Hudak, and Natasha Norman. Instagram

Hong-Ik University - is a private university located in Seoul South Korea. More info, here. 

State of Kansas - the state of Kansas was founded as a US state in 1861 and is an interesting microcosm of American history.  A long history of Native American, early settlers, the Louisiana Purchase, Brown v Board of Education etc. More info, here.

Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) - one of the first independent colleges of art and design in the US and started by women. A fascinating story, more info can be found, here. 

lithography - is a printing process which requires a stone or aluminum plate, and invented in the 18th Century. More info, here from the Tate. 

intaglio printing - is a printing method using metal plates such as zinc, and copper, creating “recessed” areas which are printed with ink on the surface of these "recesses.” More info, here. 

screen printing - also called, serigraphy, is a method of printing by using stencils forcing the ink through the screen onto paper, or other fabric. More info, here. 

Mustard Seed Garden Manual of Painting - is an early-Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1912) manual focused on colour printing. More info can be found, here. 

Ten Bamboo Studio - created in 1633 by Hu Zhengyan and is an early example of woodblock printing. More, info can be found here.

oriental  - is a word generally used to describe area’s of East and South Asia and is considered offensive and deeply rooted in colonialism. 

Western Art History - has a deep and long history which cannot be described adequately in a short post. More info can be found, here. 

Asian Art History - has a deep and long history which cannot be adequately described in a short post. More info can be found, here. 

Toru Ueba - was a print instructor at Nagasawa Art Park, and was one of Yoonmi's instructors in 2004.

The Korean War - is a war begun in 1950, and continues today, between North and South Korea. It is considered to be the first battle of the Cold War between the United States and Communism. More info, here. 

Japanese Occupation of Korea - from 1910-1945, the Japanese occupation of Korea was a brutal, colonial project by the then Japanese military government under the “Greater East Asia Co-Propserity Sphere.” It was used as a an excuse by the Japanese government to colonize Korea and spread the Japanese imperial project. More info, here. 

Lithographic turpentine touche wash - is a method or technique in lithography using turpentine. More info, here. 

Crown Point Press - is a print shop, started in 1962 by printmaker Kathan Brown in San Fransisco. The group worked on many different types of printmaking such as etchings and even woodblock. More info, here.

Nagasawa Art Park (MI Lab) Awaji City - Nagasawa Art Park was an artist-in-residence program located in Awaji City, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. It was open for 12 years before evolving into MI Lab in 2012. More info, here. 

woodblock water based printing in Asia -  woodblock printing has been produced throughout Asia, not just Japan. China, and Korea have histories of water based woodblock printing. Some info can be found, here

Shoichi Kitamura - is a woodblock carver and has been involved in MI Lab through demonstrations. More info can be found, here. 

Mariko Jesse - is a mokuhanga printmaker, author, and designer. She is a member of the Mokuhanga Sisters collective, and a part of Wood+Paper+Box with Yoonmi Nam. website 

Katie Baldwin - is an artist, with part of her focus being on mokuhanga, who is a member of Wood+Paper+Box and Shift-Lab. website

Melissa Schulenberg - woodblock printmaker and teacher. Some of her work can be found, here. 

Lucy May Schofield - is a printmaker, photographer, and scroll maker (kakemono, 掛物) and is based in England. website, Instagram.

scrolls - called kakemono 掛物 or emakimono 絵巻物  in Japanese. These scrolls contain many different types of themes and subjects. More info can be found, here. 

kirazuri -  is a technique in woodblock printing using mica to add a sheen to the print. Mokuhanga artist Marcia Guetschow has written about kirazuri on her website, here.

shōmenzuri - which literally means “front-printing” is where the finished print is rubbed in reverse to give a polished texture. More info, here. 

Borderless scroll - is the Mokuhanga Sisters collaborative scroll. Shown in Nara during the International Mokuhanga Conference, as well as at the Southern Vermont Art Center.

Brexit - is the withdrawal of the UK form the EU.

Sumi Fusion  - was the theme from the 2021 International Mokuhanga Conference.

Arranged Flowers Series - can be found, here. 

Photo lithography - is a way of creating a piece of art which transfers the photograph onto an aluminum plate or stone. More info, here. 

Ikebana -  the art of flower arranging, and is a part of the three Classical Japanese arts of refinement. The others are incense appreciation (kōdō), and the tea ceremony (chadō). More info here. 

Sugetsu ikebana - described as “anytime, anywhere, by anyone” is a style of ikebana which can be created wherever you may find yourself. More info can be found, here.

Four Seasons series - found, here.

Japanese book binding - called yotsume toji, or four hole book binding, is a style of Japanese bookbinding or the book, or scroll. There are  different variations in Korea, and China. More info, here.  

Camellia flower/oil - is an oil used in beauty products but also when treating your baren. More info can be found at woodblock.com

nattō - is a traditional Japanese food made of fermented soybeans and is an acquired taste. Usually served on rice in a traditional Japanese breakfast with fish and raw eggs. 

Wood Like Matsumura - is an online and brick and mortar store, for woodblock printmaking, located in Nerima City, Tōkyō. website.

Ozuwashi -  is a brick and mortar paper store located in the Nihonbashi district of Tōkyō. More info here.

hanji - is a Korean paper made from mulberry. More info found, here.

Holbein - is a pigment company based in Japan, Canada, and the United States. Their pigments are lush and strong. More info, here.

Daniel Smith pigments - is a provider of pigments in watercolour, paints and oil. More info, here. 

pansion paper - is a type of Japanese paper which can be used in mokuhanga. It is a heavy paper, about 89g. More info can be found at Ozuwashi, here. 

shina - is a type of Japanese plywood used in mokuhanga.

University of Kansas - started in 1866 and is the state’s flagship university. More info, here.

Penland School of Craft - is a school which welcomes students from all over the world. Located in North Carolina, the school offers eight-week workshops in many different types of mediums. More info, here. 

Print Center - is a gallery and store located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. More info, here.

Paradigm Gallery - is a gallery and studio located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and established in 2010. More, info here.

opening and closing credit music - Spadina subway station music. 

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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.***