It was a delight to speak with April Vollmer in Platemark s3e29. April is an artist, author, and educator who specializes in creative mokuhanga, the art of Japanese woodcut printmaking. Her 2015 book, Japanese Woodblock Print Workshop is an indispensable resource for artist working in the traditional for of water-based, multi-block, no-press-needed printmaking.
Episode image: Portia Shao
Shiko Munakata (Japanese, 1903–1975). Night Birds (the fence of…), c. 1967. Sumizuri-e. 19.1 x 29.3 cm. Scholten Japanese Art, New York.
April Vollmer in her studio.
April Vollmer’s studio.
Yasu Shibata (Japanese, born 1968). 6 White Squares, 2014. Set of six mokuhanga prints. Sheet (each): 11 x 11 in. Aspinwall Editions, Hudson.
Tetsuya Noda (Japanese, born 1940). Diary: April 24th ’97, 1997. Woodblock and screenprint. Sheet: 74.1 x 52.8 cm. British Museum, London.
Keiko Hara (Japanese, born 1942). Published by Lily Press. Verse Space—Light of Black Hole, Monotype with collaged mokuhanga woodblock print. Sheet: 30 x 26 in.
Rebecca Salter (British, born 1955). Into the Light II, 2011. Woodblock on Japanese paper. 60 x 90 cm. (23 ½ x 35 ½ in.).
Utagawa Kuniyoshi (Japanese, 1797–1861). Earth Spider Attacking Raiko, c. 1820. Color woodblock print. 14 5/8 x 29 5/8 in. Fuji Arts, Ann Arbor.
April Vollmer (American, born 1951). Generation, 2002. Mokuhanga on washi. Sheet: 26 x 26 in.
Beyshehir Seljuk rug, 13th century Turkey. Found in the Eshrefoglu Mosque in Beyshehir in 1929 by R.M. Riefshahl. Now in the Konya Museum of Ethnography, Konya, Turkey.
April Vollmer (American, born 1951). Blackout, 2013. Mokuhanga on Gozen washi. Sheet: 38 x 26 in.
April Vollmer (American, born 1951). Eye Cup (Counterfeit), 2008. Mokuhanga and rubber stamp on washi. Sheet: 26 x 11 in.
April Vollmer (American, born 1951). Secret Flower, 2006. Mokuhanga. Sheet: 15 ½ x 15 ½ in.
April Vollmer (American, born 1951). Migrating Gyre, 2008. Mokuhanga. Sheet: 26 x 26 in.
April Vollmer (American, born 1951), printed by Art Print Residence and published by California Society of Printmakers. Great Egret Hunting, from the portfolio Birds on the Edge, 2021. Photo-etching. Sheet: 19 ½ x 15 in.
USEFUL LINKS
April Vollmer. Japanese Woodblock Print Workshop: A Modern Guide to the Ancient Art of Mokuhanga. New York: Penguin Random House, 2015. https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/231579/japanese-woodblock-print-workshop-by-april-vollmer/
April Vollmer. “Birds on the Edge: Collaboration and Change.” The California Printmaker: The Journal of the California Society of Printmakers. (2023 Changing Gears Edition) April 2023.
https://www.aprilvollmer.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/CSP-Birds-on-the-Edge-Vollmer.pdf
Nature in the Floating World: Images of Nature in Japanese and Chinese Art. Ulrich Museum of Art, Wichita State University. January 26–May 10, 2023. https://ulrich.wichita.edu/ulrich_exhibition/nature-in-the-floating-world-images-of-nature-in-japanese-and-chinese-art-from-the-ulrich-collection/
International Mokuhanga Conference website
https://2021.mokuhanga.org/
International Mokuhanga Conference YouTube channel
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCthTUa5XbGaZsaFf_vDeosg
Tuula Moilanen, Kari Laitinen, and Antti Tantuu. The Art and Craft of Woodblock Printmaking. Helsinki: Aalto ARTS Books, 2013.
https://www.amazon.com/Art-Craft-Woodblock-Printmaking-Watercolour/dp/B01FIWQXL4
Frogman’s Workshop
http://frogmans.net/#workshops
Anderson Ranch
https://www.andersonranch.org/
Kentler International Drawing Space, Red Hook
https://kentlergallery.org/
11 Women of Spirit Part 7. Salon Zürcher, New York. May 15–21, 2023.
https://www.galeriezurcher.com/salon-zrcher-28th-edition-11-women-of-spirit-part-7-may-15-21
April’s website: https://www.aprilvollmer.com/
Mokuhanga resources: https://www.aprilvollmer.com/category/mokuhanga-resources/
April’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/april.vollmer
April’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aprilvollmer_artist/
