Jacqueline Gribbin : Printmaker - Adaptation
Update: 2024-06-28
Description
Mokuhanga has the ability to take the artist or craftsperson anywhere they would like to be. From the subject matter in their studio to physical movement around the world, teaching, exploring, and discovering. Wonder and beauty is what makes mokuhanga so special.
In this episode of The Unfinished Print, I speak with printmaker Jacqueline Gribbin, who has spent years honing her craft in mokuhanga and other printmaking techniques across Japan, Southeast Asia, and Australia. We discuss her deep connection with Indigenous communities, collaborating with the late Ralph Kiggell, and exploring the nuances of water-based and oil-based mokuhanga. Jaqueline explains her experiences traveling to isolated communities, conducting workshops, and sharing her passion for printmaking. We'll explore her teaching methods, the importance of community in her work, and how she balances creating and selling her prints.
Please follow The Unfinished Print and my own mokuhanga work on Instagram @andrezadoroznyprints or email me at theunfinishedprint@gmail.com
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.
Jacqueline Gribbin - website
Shifting Tides (2022)
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.
Keiko Kadota (1942-2017) - was the director of Nagasawa Art Park at Awaji City from 1997-2011, and then of MI Lab at Lake Kawaguchi from 2011 until her passing.
Toru Ueba - was a print instructor at Nagasawa Art Park, and was one of Yoonmi's instructors in 2004.
Ralph Kiggell (1960-2022) - was one of the most important mokuhanga practitioners. Originally from England, Ralph lived and worked in Thailand. Ralph pushed the boundaries of mokuhanga with extremely large pieces, jigsaw carving, and by using fantastic colour. He also worked with the International Mokuhanga Conference to promote mokuhanga around the world. He will be greatly missed. Ralph's work can be found, here. His obituary in The Guardian can be found, here. His interview with The Unfinished Print can be found, here.
Orange Flower On Blue
Hiroki Satake - is a mokuhanga printmaker, and instructor based in Japan. He has taught at MI Lab, as well as given demonstrations regarding tool sharpening, around the world. Instagram
赤絵（アンドレ・マルティ「狼よ！」より) (2022) 34.7cm×28.4cm
registration - there are several registration methods in mokuhanga. The traditional method is called the kentō registration, where you carve two notches, straight another an "L." There is also a "floating kentō," which is where the notches are cut in a piece of "L" shaped wood and not on the wood where you are cutting your image, hence "floating." Lastly, there are removable "pins," such as ones made by Ternes Burton.
bokashi - is a mokuhanga technique, where the pigment fades from a heavy colour to a softer, broad colour. Made famous by prints designed by Hokusai and Hiroshige, this technique is, for me, the most popular technique utilized by mokuhanga printmakers. There are various types: Ichimoji-bokashi or straight line graduation, used in the above mentioned Hiroshige and Hokusai prints. Ichimoji-mura-bokashi or straight line gradation with uneven edge. Ō-bokashi or wide gradation, Ate-nashi-bokashi or gradation without definition. Futa-iro-bokashi or two tone gradation, and ita-bokashi or softer-edge gradation, where the block is cut in a specific way to achieve this style of gradation. All of these styles of bokashi technique take practice and skill but are very much doable. Below is a fine example of bokashi by Paul Binnie:
The Torii Gate at Miyajima (2009) 37.5 x 26cm
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.
intaglio printing - is a printing method, also called etching, 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. The MET has info, here.
serigraphy - is another word for the art of silk screen printing. Silk screen printing can be in on various materials, silk, canvas, paper.
lithography: A printing process where images are transferred onto a surface using a flat plate or stone.
Yoshitaka Amano (b. 1952) - is a character designer for the Final Fantasy video game series. He uses ukiyo-e and Japanese woodblock prints as insirpation for some of his work.
Takashi Murakami (b. 1962) is a contemporary artist best known for his fine art works and contributions to the commercial market. His works are heavily influenced by manga and anime, characterized by their bright colors and distinctive style.
Multicolour Superflat Flowers - archival pigment print, silkscreen, 45 cm x 17.7cm
Margaret Thatcher 1925-2013) - was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990. She was the first woman to hold the office and remains one of the most influential figures in British political history. Leading the Conservative Party, Thatcher implemented a series of economic policies known as "Thatcherism," which emphasized deregulation, privatization of state-owned industries, and reducing the power and influence of trade unions. Her tenure was marked by significant economic transformation, as well as controversial measures that sparked widespread debate and protest.
Tamarind Institute - was originally founded in Los Angeles in 1960 by June Wayne, and is a world renowned center for fine art lithography. Established to revive and sustain the art of lithography, which was in decline in the United States, Tamarind quickly became a leader in the education and promotion of lithographic techniques. In 1970, the institute moved to the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, where it continues to thrive as a key institution in the printmaking world. Dedicated to advancing the lithographic arts through rigorous education, collaborative projects, and the production of high-quality prints, the Tamarind Institute's influence extends globally, contributing significantly to the development and appreciation of lithography as a vibrant art form. More info, here.
STPI Creative Workshop & Gallery - which stands for Singapore Thailand Print Institute is an educational gallery and workshop, based in Singapore. More info, <a
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