“Making an Impression”
A selection of color woodblock prints made using the Japanese “hanga" method by Matt Brown (Lyme, NH), Mary Graham (Wilton, NH), Lynita Shimizu (Ashford, CT), Sandy Wadlington (Bradford, NH).
March 19 - June 30
IRL ("in real life") displays:
March 19 - May 29, 2021 at Green Energy Options, 37 Roxbury St., Keene, NH
April 1 - 30, 2021 at Prime Roast Coffee Company, 16 Main St., Keene, NH
April 9 - June 30, 2021 at the 2K/Radiation Oncology exhibit space (Level 2) at Dartmouth Hitchcock Memorial Hospital, Lebanon, NH
The Japanese hanga method is printmaking using water instead of oil and a hand-held baren instead of a press. Prints are made color-by-color and block-by-block by applying pigments, water and rice paste to multiple carved blocks with brushes. This is a non-toxic low-carbon-footprint art form: materials are wood and water, pigment, paper, and rice paste.
Hanga follows a great tradition, the printing technique used to make the Japanese ukiyo-e prints of 19th century Japan (think Hokusai’s “Great Wave off Kanagawa”). The color woodblock print industry of Edo in the 100 years of its heyday in Japan (1770 - 1870) was likely the largest production of art by a human society yet. It is thought over 400 million handmade prints were produced using this method during that time. Matt, Lynita, and Sandy have been making hanga prints with this method for decades, Mary is a recent convert.
Green Energy Options is an energy business specializing in energy related solutions: solar installations (photovoltaic and hot water), wood and gas stoves, fireplaces, and inserts, mini-split heat pump installations, composters and composting toilets.
Prime Roast Coffee Company is a coffee shop on Main St. specializing in serving their own small-batch-roasted coffee. They sell their roasted beans by mail order and at venues in the southern Monadnock region. They are keen supporters of the arts and community of Keene, including the Magical History Tour Wall-dogs Murals project.
Prints by Matt Brown
"Orion over Mt. Monadnock", color woodblock print, 10" x 10"
Matt began experiments with hanga printmaking in 1993. Primarily self-taught, Matt puts credit for his original inspiration to an exhibit of Hiroshige prints at Dartmouth's Hood Museum that coincided with that time when he first became a parent. He attributes much of his progress in the art form to Western artists who have pursued the method: Walter Phillips, Arthur Dow, Frances Gearhart, Micah Schwaberow, David Bull, and especially to the various students who have taken his classes.
Prints by Mary Graham
“High Mountain Spruce", color woodblock print, 8" x 6"
Prints by Lynita Shimizu
"Self-portrait during Covid", color woodblock print, 18.5" x 14"
Lynita studied in Japan with Tomikichiro Tokuriki and has been making prints every since. She lives and works in Ashford, CT.
Prints by Sandy Wadlington
"Winter Night", color woodblock print, 5" x 5".
