There and back again..

After a radical re-think of the triptych, I decided that what had been printed so far was too based in representation and in a sense not at all the meditative images I wanted to achieve [not as a triptych anyway].  It was as if I was resolving the work for the viewer. I wanted to remove my 'opinions' from within the work and make it more reflective.  So, here are the finished pieces, which I am happy with.  I created two more kimonos and then inspired by the tokonoma zen scrolls, which hang in alcoves during the tea ceremony and other places such as ryokans, mounted them on paper with three different, barely visible landscapes sitting at the bottom edge.  I like the geometry of the final pieces and look forward to seeing them framed. They will be in a show in Japan next year and then maybe Russia the year after that.

Tomorrow I am going to Kyoto for four days.  On Sunday I am going to Shunkoin Temple to do zazen meditation and take part in the tea ceremony. I am really looking forward to this and it will be a nice personal farewell to Japan.  I have decided to not plan very much apart from that one trip and instead let Kyoto itself guide me round.  I am not going with any expectations and I think this is a good plan.  That way, anything can happen and probably will.

My mind is starting to think about home once more and hopefully inspiring people at work and elsewhere to try moku hanga.  Out of all the printing techniques I have learnt, this is by far the most challenging, but, I think, the most diverse in terms of end result.  The iridori inks I have been using are very different to regular watercolour pigment, so that has provided an extra challenge. It will be interesting to see what happens when I get back to the Royal Academy after Christmas and I look forward to seeing everyone there again.

Kokoro 3

Here is the next image from the kokoro tryptych. This is going to be number 3.  The background was printed with antique green going into antique black.  The same pallette as before has been used - the Iridori Holbein colours. On this and the subsequent block, no nori has been used. This is to texturise the image.

Then a blue layer.

Then a gold and yellow layer.

Then a brown layer.

Then a purple layer to bring out detail on the hat.

Finally a grey/black layer, which provides the shadow on the hat and the outline of the face and the front line of the kimono.  There is also a small amount of magenta on the lips.

This image is based on a traditional Japanese dance to celebrate the end of Autumn.  So far the two images have been the head and the feet.  Now to complete the tryptych one final image is required, that of the heart.  

First image of tryptych..

This is the first is a series of three images called 'kokoro' or in kanji, 心. I am using Holbein 'Iridori' pigment for this image. Iridori is a type of Japanese painting and all the colours are sampled from the pallet used for this type of work. This is the first layer, which is yellow followed by gold.

Then the second layer which is light blue followed by dark blue whilst it was still wet. This starts to give the appearance of material. There are bokashi [gradient] layers on both the blue and yellow, to suggest a slightly ethereal mood.

I then put a bokashi with no nori on the bottom of the image. I used a Sumi baren [a baren for detailed lines; there is another baren called a be-ta, which is for more solid areas] with a horizontal movement instead of the usual circular motion, which gives a flat colour, to create the texture. On this layer in particular the grooves of the bamboo skin covering the baren can be seen. I deliberately rotated the skin so it would create this effect. This block also had the shadows cut on, to begin to give the hakama folds some depth.

Then, another bokashi on a seperate layer to build up the background. Again, two passes, one with light brown and then one with gold.

I then printed a solid colour onto the background to make the entire image pop forward. I then overprinted a white band to illuminate the image. I then printed the shadows underneath the feet on a separate layer, first with silver and then grey. I didn't like the way the background looked like an abstract shape, so the image was then cropped down to create the impression of space either side. This also focuses in on the hakama patterning and the movement of the feet, instead of the positioning on a stage.

Residency..

As promised a couple of days ago, here are some pictures of the residency studio.  This is the view over Awaji from where my desk is.

This is the studio. 

And finally my desk.  Here all my brushes and carving implements are laid out ready for work.

And finally, this is one of the new blocks I have been working on since we moved studio on Monday.  I am creating three images, based on some of the patterns within Noh theatre. By patterns I mean both of the costumes that are worn during the performances and the patterns of movement that the actors use.  This is a five block print which will be built up in twelve passes. This is the keyblock, or to use laymans terms, the block that is printed first and every other block aligned to.

Monasticism and the moon.

Here in Japan there have been many special moments.  They are fleeting, somewhat poetic and difficult to describe.  On Monday we moved into the studio at the residency to continue our work.  It took a day to get into a new routine but now I have everything where I need it to be and am pretty settled.  My most enjoyable moments are in the evenings at around 10.30pm when everyone else has headed off to bed or are in their rooms catching up with family and friends back home by email.  I use this time to be in the studio and for an hour or so, it feels very meditative.  I am able to gather my thoughts from the day, sift them and focus on my woodcuts.  I switch all the lights off apart from my overhead lamp and for that period of time, it seems that there is nothing but the wood, the image and whatever I am doing to the image. I'm not even really aware of myself whilst it is happening.  I seem to be producing very precise work at this time of night, so will be using this time in the future for delicate work that needs the correct mindset.

I took this picture of the moon tonight.  It seemed particularly bright. Living in a big city back home, there is too much light to get a moon shadow.  Tonight everything was lit up by its delicate rays and I saw my own silhouette on the ground. It was one of those nights when everything was as it should be; timeless and yet rooted very firmly in the present.

Repairing the baren

Today was Ueba sensei's last day.



So, we had a lesson in repairing the baren, which is the piece of equipment used to press the ink into the paper. The baren cover is made from bamboo.

First, warm water is added to a bucket and then the bamboo skin is soaked for one minute. This is to loosen the fibres and stop it breaking when it is stretched over the baren.

The skin is then stretched with the back of a spoon and then the baren is placed on the bamboo.

Then, each side of the skin is twisted round and onto the top of the baren.

The skin is then held in place with a piece of string.

The two long end bits you can see here are then snipped off. I shall come back to this in a minute.

Then we were showed some different types of woodblock prints by Ueba sensei.

I thought I would take one final picture of the landscape outside of the studio. The mist was swirling round the hills and looked particularly wonderful.

Later on in the day, Ueba sensei taught us how to make our own brushes for carrying the ink and nori [rice paste]. When one repairs a baren, the two end bits that are left from twisting the skin onto the baren can be made into small brushes. First, the bamboo pieces are left with one end dipped in water for a week. Then, these ends are hit with a hammer. The whole thing is threaded onto a cut-down chopstick and tied tightly with string. This saves a lot of money on small brushes and shows that nothing is wasted.

Ueba sensei wa sutajio ni kimashita.

Today, Ueba sensei from Kyoto arrived to teach us the basics of printing.  First, nori [rice paste which carries the ink] and the ink are spread onto the image with a brush as you can see from the image.  These blocks which are being used to demonstrate the process are the images I have been cutting over the last couple of days.

The ink is then tested on the paper to see if it is the right colour.

The paper is then placed onto the paper.  On the left hand side of the wood a 'kento' line has been cut.  This is an L shaped cut which enables the printer to align the paper with the image.  A similar line is cut on all the blocks of wood, so each colour will match up with the previous one.  This takes careful planning and is not as simple as it sounds.  There is also a second kento line on the bottom of the piece of wood, which aligns the bottom edge of the paper. Here, sensei is aligning the left hand kento, showing the correct position of the hands when holding the paper.

Now sensei aligns the bottom kento line.  This is shown quite clearly in the following image.

A baren is then used to rub over the back of the paper, making the image cling to the paper.

This is the finished keyline [outline] print.

Now the second colour is prepared.  The block is wetted with a mizubake [waterbrush] and then dabbed with a cloth.

Nori paste is being applied here.  Sensei gave us some brushes today which are made out of crushed bamboo. The yellow colour can also be seen on the block. The nori paste which carries the pigment, and the pigment are then brushed over the block to provide an even layer.

Here is the second colour.

Now the third colour is applied in exactly the same way as the previous blocks.


The paper is placed on the kento lines and the baren rubbed over the surface.

Here is the third colour finished. Then I got to have a go with the final colour.

Here is my attempt at printing in the same way that sensei did.  Not ideal, but better than I have been.  My attitude now is that every time I cut a new line, or print a new colour, it is a little better than the one before.  

Then sensei showed us some woodblock prints, to give us some inspiration as to what our work could look like.  These are some Japanese dolls.

Here the class are enjoying green tea, whilst looking over the wonderful array of images that sensei brought for us to see.

Here is a close up of one of the images, with a process called 'itabo-kashi' exemplified. Itabo-kashi is a technique where colours can fade into one another, or fade out completely.  This is done by varying the amount of ink on the wood, so it is not evenly spread out.  For example, it could just be put along the top of the wood, so when it is printed, it creates a gradient effect.  Itabo-kashi basically means gradient. This effect makes prints look more like paintings and I am having to start to think in this way.  My old ideas about printmaking [and many other things] are slowly being thrown out of the metaphorical window.

Here is a woodblock print of the Buddha.

Here, Asa tries to understand the complexities of itabo-kashi and how she could use it in her work.