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Finished my third Japanese woodblock print after two months of work.

“Moon over Sunday Lake”

Woodblock print, five blocks, 12 impressions

8 x 10in. Edition of 10

I wanted to step up the difficulty with this print, but quickly got over my head. The large bokashi (gradations) in the sky and water required four impressions each, and I struggled to control moisture across the paper. Too much liquid on the print areas would make the lines smudge while too little would make the print area blotchy. Between color tests, block tests, and buying the wrong paper, I must have printing these blocks about 80 times. Still realizing how much I have to learn. 

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Printed the final edition with a few edits to colors and a bokashi (gradation) to the sky for some added depth.

“Mountain”

Japanese woodblock print. 6x8in.

Edition of 10

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Finished proofing my second print!

“Mountain” 

6 x 8in. Four block print on Japanese paper

Stepped up the difficulty on my second print. I used the kento registration system to align my blocks. The registration was a constant headache and I had to adjust the marks multiple times. I think the biggest problem was the tracing paper warping when doing the tracings for each block. Next time I will use a thin Japanese Gampi paper to do the transfers. 

Japanese printmaking is an incredibly nuanced art. I have so much to learn. 

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Experiments in Mokuhanga. (Japanese Woodblock printing)

“Poppy” , 2016

4 x 6in. Two color woodblock print on Washi paper.

Edition of 10

I recently took up the medium of Japanese woodblock printing with the help of April Vollmer’s book “Japanese Woodblock Print Workshop” and supplies from McClain’s Printmaking Supplies. Japanese printmaking is great for its flexibility and non toxicity. They use water soluble inks and printing is done by hand without the need of a heavy press making it easy to do at home. 

I have never printed before so there was quite the learned curve to overcome in this process. Blocks are carved by hand with a set of varied Japanese knives and gouges. Once a block (or blocks) have been carved, they are cleaned and then inked with a mixture of liquid pigment and nori, a rice paste binder that helps distribute the color evenly. The ink is brushed across the block with a soft brush known as hanga bake. Depending on the pigment mixture and the way it is brushed, printers can produce a variety of effects, many which I find difficult to control. Printing is then done on handmade paper known as Washi, made from kozo, the white inner bark of the mulberry tree. 

Having a greater understanding of how mokuhanga is made makes me appreciate works by Japanese printmakers even more. The sensitivity of the materials and the process is amazing and I am excited to try my next print despite the difficulties. 

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Another value study based on an oil sketch in the 19th century galleries.

Graphite on paper in sketchbook.

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Quick value sketch after the Dutch painter Philip Koninck at the Met. 

Graphite in sketchbook, 6 x 5in

I have been drawn to landscapes recently for their abstract qualities and geometric compositions. The 17th century Dutch painters where masters at light and mood and this large landscape stands out in the gallery. The composition is intersected with strong diagonals from the hill in the foreground to the dense clouds in the sky. Value studies are a great way of understanding the basic non-representational parts of a painting. 

I find myself continually more interested in abstract elements that elevate works beyond a snapshot of a time or place. I remember reading how the post war Modernists where looking at artists like Rembrandt and saying, “what besides this being an accurate representation of a man we have never met, makes this a great painting.” Although I don’t always like the products of Modernist ideas, the concepts themselves are absolutely fascinating. 

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Early morning sketchbook study at the Met

 “Head of a Wolf after Rubens”

Graphite in sketchbook, 8 x 7in.

One of the best parts of working for the Met is being able to come really early and study the art. The crowds can get overwhelming at times, but in the morning the museum one of the most peaceful places. This is from a large painting of a fox and wolf hunt. I wanted to explore texture and all of the rendered ripples that Rubens puts in everything, from the muscles of a figures arm to the face of a wolf. 

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Lunchtime sketch after Rosa Bonhuer’s “The Horse Fair” , 1852-55 at the Met. 

I have been doing alot of master copies lately and wanted to try to work through them in a different way. Instead of a facsimile of the original piece, I wanted to capture the spirit of a part of the work to learn movement and perspective. 

This is also my first time drawing a horse. I am not an animalier, and horse anatomy makes zero sense to me. 

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Quick little sketch of Canova’s Perseus at the Met. Graphite on toned paper.  There was some great dramatic lighting on these statues after the sun goes down.

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Skull study from life. Graphite on paper, 5 x 6in.

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Sketchbook study after Rembrandt Van Rijn’s “Portrait of a Man” from 1632 at the Met. These master copy’s have been a great tool and I feel like I have come to conclusions in the process faster and faster. 

Oh and I also started an Instagram. Follow me here. 

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Lunchtime sketch after Olin Levi Warner’s statuette “Twilight” ( 1877-1878) in the American Wing at the Metropolitan Museum of art. Its hiding in a back corner past the Mary Cassatt paintings. 

Graphite in sketchbook. 8 x 6in.

Another little lunch study. I think these have been very helpful over the last few months. I “window-shaded” these piece, which can be a good tool for understanding form. “Window shading” is a drawing method used by some ateliers in which you start at the top of the drawing and completely render your values section by section focusing on form in space. This is different then an “all over” drawing method where you would put each value in place all over the drawing. For example, putting in all of your darkest darks, then your lightest lights. I struggle to get fluidity with this method and I think this drawing seems overly ridged. 

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Sketch after Diego Velazquez’s portrait of Juan de Pareja, c1650 at the Met. 

Graphite in sketchbook. 8 x 10in.

This has to be one of the most striking pieces in the museum. Juan de Pareja was born a slave and inherited by Velazquez. He became Velazquez’s studio assistant and became a very accomplished painter in his own right. Velazquez freed him in 1654 and one of his paintings currently hangs in the Prado. 

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A quick sketch of Amanda Behrens at the park today. I tend to work very slow, so its nice to do something quick and loose for a change. 

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A water color drawing based on my time in Montauk two years ago. I wanted to make a landscape similar to the Shin-Hanga prints I love so much. Far from successful, I think I need to practice my color theory more before trying another. 

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Did some more work on my Ribera lunchtime study. The drapery was a lot of fun but I think I need a break. If you haven’t seen this painting at the Met its a real gem, all the way in the back corner of European painting, next to the Velazquez.

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Some quick color studies for a landscape project I am working on inspired by the Shin-hanga prints I have been obsessing over lately.