I’m lucky enough to be heading back to Japan for another artist residency in October. I’ve been accepted for a 6 week Mokuhanga (Japanese style woodcut) training in a small town near the Sea of Japan. Eihei-ji, the temple where Dogen founded Soto Zen, is one town over! I plan to spend a week or so in Kyoto beforehand, ditto in Tokyo after, riding bikes, drinking beauty & filling my sketchbook along the way.

I expect the workshop to be demanding – 4 to 6 international artists are invited. We stay in an old village house w/studio downstairs, and will be working daily with Japanese teachers. I am practicing my sharpening & carving skills, and trying to learn some minimal spoken Japanese. Finding that so far I am a s-l-o-w student, the sharpening and language skills even more difficult than the carving (where I have a bit more experience, but no expertise, after years of making the quote prints).

To fund this journey, I received seed money in the form of a small grant from the Faben Fund/Humboldt Arts Council. Next I am putting out this proposal – asking for contributions of $300, for which each subscriber will receive a work on paper that results from the trip. My plan is to produce a series of mixed media pieces on locally made washi paper, using imagery inspired there. The mixed media will include woodcut, local water based paint, drawing, stamps and other paper collage. The pieces will be on the small side (so that they can fit in my suitcase), and should fit a standard 11” x 14” – 12” x 16” frame. The artwork will be started there, and then finished at home.

It is a trust dance, as you don’t know exactly what you’ll get! But/and I do have a good track record as I did this once before – 12 years ago I raised money for a trip to India (for teachings with the Dalai Lama in Bodhgaya), producing a hand colored block print for the subscribers. I can also give a backup offer of a $300 credit towards something else in the studio, if this Japanese series ends up not to your taste.

Please contact me if you’d like to know more or to participate.
Thanks, Anna