Lisa Houck, left, a New England artist who will soon be moving to Maine, has been doing Japanese woodblock printing for the last 10 years. Saturday was her second time teaching a workshop at the Arundel Farm Gallery. CATHERINE BART/Journal Tribune

KENNEBUNKPORT — A small workshop class of three students spent the weekend at Arundel Farm Gallery, learning Japanese woodblock printmaking from New England artist Lisa Houck. 

Japanese printmaking is an art form that was introduced to the United States and Europe in the 19th Century, Houck said. This is her second time leading a workshop at the gallery, having taught white line printmaking about a month ago. 

Julie Feingold, owner of the Arundel Farm Gallery, said that she has just started to host multiple workshops this year. When she bought the property, a small barn came with the space, and she eventually decided it was a perfect spot to have featured artists teach.  

“This year we had six workshops, and next year I hope to add more,” she said. “We’re just being discovered and the word’s getting out and we’re just going to grow it.” 

Woodblock printing master Lisa Houck shows workshop participants some examples she had created. She says that each color added to a print must be done on a separate block of wood. CATHERINE BART/Journal Tribune

Feingold said she discovered Houck’s work online, and a collection of Houck’s prints is currently on display at the gallery.  

Houck has been making prints for over 40 years, she said, but she started learning Japanese woodblock printing about 10 years ago. 

One of the biggest draws to the Japanese art form is the individual steps that must be taken to reach the final product, Houck added. 

“Printmaking involves a lot of process,” she said. “I think there are a lot of people that enjoy the process. In some ways it adds a craft element. It’s like, ‘I have to learn a skill, a new skill to do this.’ Also, printmaking transforms your image a little bit, so whatever you started with gets changed a little by the process.” 

The three pupils started with a sketch of their own ideas, they said, and learned how to transfer the sketch onto thin squares of wood, which then must be carved. 

Houck said that a different block of wood needs to be carved per color for the final print. The students were prepared to carve two to three blocks. When the colors are added to the woodblock they are pressed to the paper, she said, and results in layers of colors and shades. 

“A couple of the qualities of Japanese woodblock that are interesting is that you can blend colors,” she said. “This is called bokashi. It’s a technique where you blend colors from dark into light. That’s one of the fun things about it. One thing you can do when you ink it up is actually change the colors each time you print.” 

In Japan, Houck said, woodblock printing was considered simple, an artistic technique used on everyday items such as wrapping paper or board games, but the artform intrigued and inspired the West.  

“I don’t think we’d ever seen anything quite like it,” she said. “Some of them have hundreds of colors in them. They were done by master artisans who knew how to carve wood with these blades, and they would carve these tiny little lines into cherry blocks. It was quite impressive, just the technique.” 

One student, Anne Finucane, a Pennsylvania resident who vacations in Cape Neddick, said that she had done non-wood printmaking before, but was reluctant to try woodblock carving.  

“I always stayed away from the wood because I thought it would be too hard on my hands,” she said. “And it’s not. It’s not that hard on your hands. [Houck] has shown us that you don’t really have to press down so hard. The wood’s softer than I thought.” 

A display shows woodblook printings done by Lisa Houck. CATHERINE BART/Journal Tribune

Kristin Fellous, a Kittery Point resident, said she took the workshop because she’d tried woodblock printmaking in the past but needed a refresher. 

“I took a five-day class and thought, ‘This seems so complicated,’” she said. “But it isn’t that complicated. I’m very process-oriented, so I really love the carving a lot.” 

Finucane and Christine Sullivan, who lives in Portland, said that they viewed workshops as more of a way to learn a new technique rather than taking away a mastered product.   

Houck said she’s had experience teaching art to all ages, from younger children to middle schoolers to adults, and she’s found that these kinds of techniques help build skills that might not be found in other classes. 

“I’ve taught middle school for 15 years and they love hands-on,” she said. “Even though they do the computer, and they do digital, they love getting into a class where they can make something with their hands.” 

She said that these skills give students a sense of pride and knowledge of how to create, be it woodblock printing or any other kind of artistic medium. 

“Getting that sense of mastery and understanding how things are made, the kids come out feeling much more confident,” she said. “The idea that, ‘I can actually draw something and get it onto that page.’ I think in the beginning most kids would say, ‘I don’t draw well.’ It takes a little bit of urging them to give it a try, but once they do, I feel like I see the confidence level get boosted.” 

While the workshops can benefit the students, Feingold said she wants to help support the artists, too. 

“We’ve had local artists, and it’s really nice to have them connect with the community and show their techniques,” she said. “There are so many talented people and so many artists in Maine, and it’s really nice to find people who want to try new things.” 

— Staff Writer Catherine Bart can be reached at cbart@mainelymediallc.com or 780-9029.