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I make woodblock prints using the traditional Japanese hanga method. Hanga is color woodblock printing entirely by hand, using a hand-held baren instead of a press, from multiple blocks with water, pigments, and rice paste. It was the technique used to make the ukiyo-e and shin-hanga prints of Japan.
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Fascinated by how making and viewing two-dimensional art can change the way we see our world, I am in love with the color woodblock print, especially woodblock prints made with water using the Japanese hanga method.
I love the look of hanga prints: the clean carved edges juxtaposed with the soft watercolor look of the colors. I love the intimate, responsive, tactile nature of this art form, the simple materials involved in their making: wood and water.
Highest quality artist pigments, rice paste, and acid-free cotton rag paper are my printing materials. Brushes and a hand-held baren are my printing tools. Each print is hand-rubbed, often from 10 or more separate carved blocks.
Add in a little color theory? |
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 Using my baren to print |
Copies of a booklet about the art and science of seeing color, The Energy Theory of Color, authored by myself and Prof. Ming Meng (a psychology professor specializing in the science of visual thinking), are available for purchase online (shipping is $5, east of the Mississippi). Booklets are also available at the Matt Brown Fine Art gallery in Lyme. |