David Stones - Printmaker: Until The Colour Is Right, I Don't Start

The spirit of mokuhanga can be found throughout the world. You may find mokuhanga anywhere, in one place, yet pursue it in another. On this episode I speak with long time mokuhanga printmaker David Stones. David has lived and worked in Japan for over forty years, all in the rural area around Okazaki City, in Aichi Prefecture. David has dedicated his life to making mokuhanga in Japan. I speak with David about how he found his way to Japan from England, and how he began working with and studying under famous sōsaku hanga printmaker Tomikichirō Tokuriki (1902-2000) in Kyoto. We discuss what it's like to live and work in a rural part of Japan, how documenting a Japanese historical past affects his work and talk about his relationship with nature. Please follow The Unfinished Print and my own mokuhanga work on Instagram @andrezadoroznyprints or email me at [e-mail] Notes: may contain a hyperlink. Simply click on the highlighted word or phrase. Artists works follow after the note. Pieces are mokuhanga unless otherwise noted. David Stones - website, video produced by Satomi Okane, here. Tiles Oshibuchi (date unknown) Trans Siberian Railway - is a rail line that services Russian cities from Moscow to Vladisvostok. It is 9,289 km long. It has been in service since 1904. More information can be found, here. letterpress - is a type of relief printing by using a printing press. It was popular during Industrialization and the modernity of the West. By the mid twentieth century, letterpress began to become more of an art form, with artists using the medium for books, stationary, and greeting cards. Tomikichirō Tokuriki (1902-2000) - was a Kyoto based mokuhanga printmaker and teacher. His work touched on many themes and styles. From "creative prints" or sōsaku hanga in Japanese, and his publisher/printer prints, or shin hanga prints of traditional Japanese landscapes. Hamaotsu (date unknown) Wood Block Print Primer - is a book first published by Hoikusha Publishers in the late 1960's in soft cover and, strangely, published in 1970 in hardcover by Japan Publications Inc. If anybody has more information on this book, send me an email. deshi (弟子) - is the Japanese word for pupil, or student. Studying in Japan - going to Japan to study your field, your art, or your interests can be a complicated process. You can go and take short term courses and workshops without a special visa in Japan, but if you are looking for a long term option to study, I suggest checking out University websites, artist in residence programs etc in your chosen field as all will have their own application processes. shukubo (宿坊) - is a dormitory, or hostel, in a Buddhist temple in Japan. You can find some of those "temple-stays" in Kyoto, here. Okazaki, Aichi - is a relatively large city of around 300,000 people. It is about 45 minutes outside of Nagoya City. It is known for its seasonal activities, reconstructed castle, Tokugawa history, and food. More info can be found, here Richard Steiner - is a mokuhanga printmaker based in Kyoto, Japan. He has been producing mokuhanga for over 50 years. More information about his work can be found on his website, here. And his interview with The Unfinished Print, can be found here. David Bull - is a Canadian woodblock printmaker, and educator who lives and works in Japan. His love of mokuhanga has almost singlehandedly promoted the art form around the world. His company, Mokuhankan, has a brick and mortar store in Asakusa, Tōkyō, and online, here. The River In Winter - From "My Solitudes" series (2007-9) oban - is a print size in mokuhanga. The standard size is, generally speaking, 39 x 26.5 cm. The Japanese Gallery in London has a solid list on the variants of mokuhanga print sizing, here. gomazuri - is a mokuhanga technique where slight pressure is used with pigments too make a "spotty" image, what look like sesame seeds. It can add depth to your prints. An excellent description of this technique can be found at David Bull's woodblock.com, which posted Hiroshi Yoshida's entire book 'Encyclopedia of Woodblock Printmaking' (1939), here. Woodblock Diary - is a book self published by David Stones, and can be found on his website. Tōkyō Tower - is a communications tower located in the Minato district of Tōkyō, Japan. It was built in 1958 and, before the construction of Tōkyō Skytree to compete, was one of the few views of Tōkyō open to the public. For many, including me, it is a nostalgic piece of Tōkyō architecture with a lot of affinity. More info can be found, here. Chubu Electric Power Mirai Tower - is a communications tower locasted in the Japanese city of Nagoya. It was constructed in 1954 making it the oldest communications tower in Japan. More info, in Japanese, can be found, here. Taishō Period (1912-1926) - a short lived period of Japanese modern history but an important one in world history. This is where ...