On March 23, Hiromi Paper was proud to host a talk on Japanese wood cut prints by New York based printer April Vollmer. Ten years ago, inspired by the prints of Utamaro, Hokusai and other masters, she decided to learn "Hanga", the traditional Japanese technique of printing using a carved wood block, handmade paper, and water based ink. Of all the graphic media, woodcut is perhaps the most direct and expressive. It requires only a small space and a few simple tools. However, as April pointed out, it does require a great deal of precision and an understanding of traditional Japanese methods and tools. Handmade Japanese paper plays a vital part in the process. Because the fibers are beaten by hand during the paper making process instead of by machine they retain their shape and are incredibly strong. They don't stretch or shrink when damping for printing. In a print using many different colors, each needing a seperate block, this stability is vital for precise registration. Additionally, handmade Japanese paper has a luminous surface quality which becomes part of the print as opposed merely supporting the color. April recommends using a Dosa sized 100% Kozo paper, such as Hosho HM, for making woodblock prints. She loves its ability to hold the transparent colors used in Hanga.

Sizing is neccessary to prevent the sheet from sticking to the block and ripping during the printing process. April stressed the importance of purchasing a high quality Japanese paper when you consider the time and energy one puts into the process of creating a Hanga woodblock print. As she told the wood block enthusiasts gathered in the colorful Hiromi Paper showroom, "Use Washi - it's good stuff!" She also discussed the making of computer generated Iris prints using Japanese paper. She finds it very pleasing to combine the technologies of the 17th century with those of the 21st. She displayed several beautiful prints she has created by printing digitally onto handmade Japanese paper. Just as in woodblock printing, April strongly advises using a high quality paper with a hard surface, such as Kozo Misumi (DHM-11). April's enthusiasm for traditional woodblock technique, and her expert use of ink, wood, and paper was inspiring. If you wish to learn more about Hanga and which Japanese papers are most suited for woodblock printing you can contact April through her web site, www.aprilvollmer.com.

Note: A wonderful selection of ukiyo-e, or "floating world" school Japanese woodblock prints is on display through May 15th at the Japanese Pavillion at LACMA.

Hello, Printmaker friends!

You must be as happy as I am to be customers of the inestimable Hiromi Katayama. For the 40 years I bought paper from various other importers I can assure you I never got a letter like this one from Hiromi in December of 1998:

" Dear Sabra.......if you are interested in ordering 500 sheets we would be happy to forward your sample to the mill and request that they match the paper....."

Words to make a grown printmaker cry for joy! I am presently working my way through 1000 sheets of the loveliest washi I've ever used and each sheet I draw from its package is uniformly thick, white and unblemished. To back up a ways: I learned to make woodcuts from Butch Limbach at Wesleyan University in Connecticut in 1959. His personal medium was lithography but he had a lot of respect for woodcut and our class had access to a treasure trove of antique prints including Durers which we were allowed to handle and inspect up close. My first woodblock hooked me and I've been in love with hand pulled relief prints ever since. In the 50s and early 60s black and white was in, Leonard Baskin was the hero, color was looked upon as less "serious". Therefore I graduated with only a few written instructions on how to register multiple blocks and l had to figure out a method for myself when I decided I wanted color. For the last 4 decades I've been producing color prints in open and numbered editions. There are between 400 and 500 titles now and an impression of each is going to be preserved as "The Sabra Field Collection" which has been solicited by Middlebury College where I did my undergraduate work. My blocks usually number no more than 6 or 8 but often have 20 or more colors many of which overhap.

Unless I am printing a commissioned edition I usually print no more than a couple of days at a time on any one image. My printmaker associate, Sonja Olson, prints with me on the larger titles. She does all the smaller ones by herself. We are pretty efficient and have a low error ratio but I have to admit there is a small amount of hand finishing when I sign the prints. This is due to registration inaccuracies sometimes caused by the shina blocks which, in the larger sizes, are prone to warping. I've tried backing them with massonite which is helpful. Recently, for a print which is 48" x 24" I decided to use "MDF" board which is a sawdust and resin building material that cuts very nicely and is ABSOLUTELY FLAT. So far, each block is perfectly registered to the last. (I've also been making Iris ink jet prints with Jon Cone of Cone Editions in East Topsham Vermont for the past 8 years. But that's really another story because I use a completely different paper for Iris prints). Printing with my current HM-7 Kozo White enables me to offer imagery which glows. The colors are set off by the white and the ink absorbs in a way that leaves a velvet surface. We can exert a fair amount of pressure without embossing using the Brand Etching press. And the paper stands up to burnishing with a spoon and baren as well as with fingers and palms. I've also noticed that stress wrinkles seem less of a problem perhaps because the paper is newly milled and still has some moisture in it. How fortunate I am to be able to persue my passion using such a reliable surface to convey my ideas.

Here I am, deep in the Green Mountains of Vermont, making woodcuts for an audience that knows little of the great Japanese traditions but responds with enthusiasm to the age old magic of ink transferred to paper from wood blocks. The subtle magic of the printed image is alive and well here thanks to Hiromi Paper International! If you would like to learn more about my imagery and my background please go to my web site which is sabrafield.com. And should you wish to ask me any questions there is a place on the site to contact me on e mail. I am happy to share technical solutions I may have been able to figure out.