I am so delighted that my work will be included in this thoughtful exhibition of contemporary mokuhanga works. Many of the artists included in this exhibition gave me both instruction and direction in mokuhanga, and inspired me to find my voice in the medium.
September 21-December 1, 2023
Opening reception September 21, 4-6 pm
Lyet Gallery
Elizabethtown College
Elizabethtown, PA
“22 Views of Mokuhanga” showcases work from twenty-two contemporary artists practicing mokuhanga, a traditional Japanese woodblock printmaking technique. The selected artists are based in the US, Japan, Finland, England, and Poland and vary in style and technique. The exhibition includes work from Cameron Bailey, Katie Baldwin, Linda Beeman, Marta Boźyk, Mary Brodbeck, Eric Conrad, Kathryn Desforges, Stella Ebner, Kevin Francis, Mokuhanga Sisters Collective, Matthew Willie Garcia, Takuji Hamanaka, Patty Hudak, Sarah Hulsey, Mike Lyon, Tuula Moilanen, Yoonmi Nam, Florence Neal, Mia O, Melissa Schulenberg, Chihiro Taki, and Stephen Winiecki. Free and Open to the public.
ETOWN Arts and Culture CalendarArtist Chihiro Taki
See Here Now Pop-Up
2237 N. Front St. 1st floor, Philadelphia, PA 19133
Gallery Hours: September 9, 12-6pm & September 10, 12-6pm. Drop-in, free.
Opening Reception: September 9, 6-8pm.
https://phillyfringe.org/events/best-laid-plans/
I am exhibiting with See Here Now in a Pop Up Exhibition at the Philly Fringe Festival.
An exhibition titled “Best Laid Plans” at See Here Now Pop-Up Enterprises Worldwide Gallery as part of the Philadelphia Fringe Festival 2023 is scheduled to take place on September 9, 12-6 p.m. & September 10, 12-6 p.m., 2023. The opening reception of the exhibition is scheduled to take place on September 9, 6-8 p.m., 2023. This exhibition is the curated group exhibition of absurd, incomplete, stalled, and discarded works, projects and ideas by local and national artists Christine Walinski, Sabrina Small, Christopher Moss, Ronna Lebo, Patty Hudak, Robert Fanelli, Shannon Cronin and Derek Ayres.
“The standard visual art exhibition traditionally presents polished objects and ideas, ready to be considered and defended. This is not that. Eight artists present a room full of abandoned projects, suspect ideas, unworkable proposals, and folly that suggests the residue of struggle can still yield poetry.”
- 2023 Philly Fringe Festival Guide
By presenting drawings and works on paper consisting of abandoned ideas and projects, harebrained schemes, weird notebook pages, shitastic drawings, and failed preliminary studies, “Best Laid Plans” embraces imperfection and unveils artistic churning. To that end, this exhibit defies convention by exploring artistic experimentation and vulnerability, celebrates the raw, impractical, and stalled, and ultimately grants access to artists’ personal journeys by exposing triumphs and tribulations and showing how the sausage is made.”
I am showing a number of drawings I aimed to transfer and carve
onto magnolia blocks and print with sumi ink under the guidance of a Japanese sensei. After two months prep, and breaking many knife blades while chipping away outlines, I realized I had neither the skill nor tenacity to finish the project, resulting in a deepened respect for the process and adjusted expectations vis-a-vis my skill set at the time. See Hear Now will be exhibiting some of these drawings and some of the partially carved woodblocks.
You may have heard that the Vermont Studio Center in Johnson VT was hit hard by recent flooding. Their permanent collection of prints, dating from the 1980’s until now, was partially under water. Thankfully, much of the collection was recovered, with about one third needing further restoration. With the guidance of Sarah Amos, who oversaw the production of these prints, I will be leading a team of volunteers to rinse and flatten prints, while others will be going in for professional conservation.
If you are able, we are looking for supplies and volunteers:
Supplies: Newsprint, glassine, plastic sheeting, wood planks, and more.
If you can donate supplies in person from your own inventory or order supplies online on our behalf, we will be in touch with an updated list of what is needed.
Donations: If you would like to donate funds for supplies, conservation treatment, and support our ongoing recovery flood efforts, please donate here: vermontstudiocenter.org/give-2023
Volunteering: Tuesdays & Thursdays in Johnson, VT starting mid-August
If you can volunteer in person to help clean prints on a Tuesday or Thursday, we would love to have you here on campus. Training and supplies will be provided. If we receive supplies in the next few weeks, we hope to start the cleaning process mid-August.
If you are willing to donate your time, supplies, or both , email directly to patty.hudak@vermontstudiocenter.org)
I will be teaching two mokuhanga workshops this fall:
Southern Vermont Arts Center
September 8 (Friday) 7–8 pm via Zoom (introduction)
September 9-10 (Saturday and Sunday) 10 am-4 pm in person
Follow this link for registration: Fall Mokuhanga at SVAC
Two Rivers Printmaking Studio
October 13 (Friday) 7–8 pm via Zoom (introduction)
October 14- 15 (Saturday and Sunday) 10 am-4 pm in person
Follow this link for registration: Fall Mokuhanga at Two Rivers Printmaking Studio
I will be introducing mokuhanga techniques using gouache as the medium for printing. We will be using Holbein’s set of gouache, Traditional Colors of Japan: Fall, as inspiration for our prints, celebrating the arrival of Fall.
I will guide participants in the immersive carving and printing techniques, using handmade brushes, Japanese paper, rice glue, gouache, and a handheld baren to carve and print mokuhanga prints.
The workshops are open to all levels.
What is covered:
Day 1: Over Zoom
Introduction:
History, and meaning of the evolution of color in Japanese prints, as well as traditional symbols of Fall. Examples of Japanese woodblock printing using layered color.
Thoughts color and design, exploring the uses for contemporary artists.
Planning and preparing your image.
Day 2 (in person)
Transfer our design/image to the block
Demo, kento registration
Carve block
Hangito, lines, and clearing the block.
Day 3:
Printing
Dampening paper
Setting up your workspace, placement of materials
Using starch glue with gouache for printing.
Application with brushes
Using a baren for printing, varying pressure with your hand
Specialty techniques, bokashi, gomazuri.
Supplies:
What is supplied:
8” x 10” Shina plywood blocks
Japanese paper
Tracing paper
Carbon paper
Newsprint
Carving tools (classroom use)
Gouache
Nori (starch glue)
Freezer paper
Brushes for applying gouache
What to bring:
Sketchbook
Prepared design
Carving tools, if you have any
Apron
I spent two weeks this spring at the Haystack Mountain Open Studio Residency in Deer Isle, Maine. The residency sponsored over 50 artists to create and commune for two full weeks in their glorious studios and cabins, surrounded by nature. There was a lot of opportunity for experimentation, both in the digital realm as well as in craft mediums which have been represented throughout time. I met the most incredible artists (everyone was nice!) and expanded my vocabulary in mokuhanga printmaking. Here are some images which were a real breakthrough for me:
My exhibition, Gyring, Spiring at Minema Gallery in Johnson, VT was recently reviewed by Pamela Polston in Seven Days Vermont. In Vermont, we are lucky to have such an accomplished writer of the arts. In 2021, Polston was recognized with Walter Cerf Medal for Outstanding Achievement in the Arts, for her intelligent writing, which is critical to fostering dialogue about the arts in Vermont. In this review, she articulated my intentions, as I stumbled over words to describe to her my process and intent. Thank you, Pamela Polston!
Join us for Paintings & Poetry on Sunday, April 30th, at 2pm at Minėmå Gallery on 2 Lower Main Street in Johnson VT. I will give a short talk on the inspiration behind my work, relating it to the poetry of William Butler Yeats and the sublime emotions experienced in the Vermont woodlands. Poet Sarah Audsley will read from her newly published book of poetry called Landlock X.
Free and open to the public. All are welcome! Hope you can make it!
I am honored to receive an Artist Development Grant from the Vermont Arts Council to print with the master printers at Cone Editions in East Topsham, VT. The Artist Development Grant is available to support the career of artists living in the state of Vermont and is a great resource for developing an aspect of your art career that needs a little funding. Cone Editions is one of the top printing studios in the world, for digital, photographic, and creative images, and they invented many of the processes for outputting digital work. My project is to start to combine my digital work with my mokuhanga work- interesting because I am using the oldest printing process in the world and combining it with state-of-the-art printing of digital forms. My date with them is 6/14/2023, so I am excited to prepare my work for printing. Thank you to the Vermont Arts Council and to our legislators who make this funding possible.
I will be participating in two contemporary artist book fairs with Art Byte Critique: PAGES: Reset - Contemporary Artists’ Book Fair at the University of Leeds, in the UK and Printed Bound at Sunny Bank Mills, in West Yorkshire, UK. I began making artist books with Art Byte Critique in 2015, as a way to work out ideas for my projects. It’s become a great way for me to visualize my thoughts and create a completed idea in book form. Our table was organized by Yiru Sun- You can see more of her work here.
Patty Hudak
Minėmå Gallery
Johnson, VT
Gyring, Spiring
March 14th - May 6th, 2023
Opening Reception: Sunday, March 26th, 2-3pm
I am delighted to be exhibiting my recent paintings at Minėmå Gallery in Johnson, VT from March 14-May 6, 2023. Minėmå is a micro contemporary public art gallery currently exhibiting Vermont-based, female-identifying artists working in a multitude of fine art and craft disciplines. Minėmå was realized in 2020 by and wife/husband team, Kyle Nuse and Michael Mahnke- visionaries, artists, and activists. They focus on creating an inclusive space fostering diverse artistic dialogue, sensory impulses, and social change.
I hope you can make it to the reception on March 26 from 2-3pm, or at any time before May 6. The gallery is located at 2 Lower Main Street, Johnson, Vt .
The opening hours are Tues-Sat 10-4 & by appointment.
I am so delighted to have been selected to participate in the Haystack Open Studio Residency taking place May 28 to June 19, 2023 in Deer Isle, Maine. As an endowed program, there is no cost to attend.
Haystack’s Open Studio Residency fosters a dynamic exchange of ideas among peers and provides two weeks of studio time and an opportunity to work in a community of makers. The program supports approximately fifty participants—from the craft field and other creative disciplines—who have uninterrupted time to work in six studios (ceramics, blacksmithing, fiber, graphics, metals, and wood) to develop ideas and experiment in various media. Participants can choose to work in one particular studio or move among them depending on the nature of their work. All of the studios are staffed by technicians who can assist with projects.
While I am at Haystack, I will develop ideas around mokuhanga printmaking and also, experiment in Haystack’s Fab Lab with digital options for carving surfaces for printing.
I am so excited for this opportunity!
I am looking forward to teaching a mokuhanga workshop at Two Rivers Printmaking Studio in White River Junction, Vermont on April 14-16. We will be using Holbein’s set of gouache, Traditional Colors of Japan: Spring, as inspiration for our prints, celebrating the arrival of Spring. Originating in China, then refined in the Edo Period in Japan, mokuhanga (Japanese water-based woodblock printing) is experiencing a contemporary revival as a nature-based art form and its relevance in expressing contemporary concerns. For information and registration contact Two Rivers Printmaking Studio here.
Mokuhanga Sisters is deeply grateful to Seven Days and Pamela Polston for this beautiful recognition. Polston is an award winning writer and critic, who expertly interprets out meaning and intentions for this exhibition. Thank you to Alison Crites, Anne Corso, and the Southern Vermont Arts Center for giving us this opportunity to create this exhibition and for the Kentler International Drawing Space and St Lawrence University for their support in traveling this exhibition to their beautiful spaces.
Pamela Polston’s response to our exhibition, The World Between the Block and the Paper is a beautiful interpretation of what we set out to achieve.
“As the somewhat esoteric title hinted, this was an exhibition of wood-block prints. The “world” referred to the myriad possibilities in the moment when carved, inked wood spoke to paper. Specifically, the exhibit featured a Japanese method of printmaking called mokuhanga. Visitors were introduced to an international group called Mokuhanga Sisters, which includes Vermont artist and exhibition cocurator Patty Hudak.
In addition to presenting their own work in vastly different styles, each artist invited a teacher or a student to participate. The total number of prints was a whopping 174. It was a collective testament to the versatility of a timeless art form. Some of the pieces were unframed or even sculptural, showing the surprisingly tensile strength of a seemingly fragile medium.
A captivating installation in the art center’s library paid homage to the artists’ mentors, as well as artisans who handcraft the traditional tools used in mokuhanga. The distinctively Japanese protocol of mutual respect permeated this exhibition and left an indelible impression on viewers as surely as ink on paper.”
The entire exhibition is archived here: The World Between the Block and the Paper
ART BYTE CRITIQUE 10TH ANNIVERSARY EXHIBITION
LAUNCH PAD GALLERY
NOVEMBER 18 - 28, 2022, 13:00 - 19:-00
Art Byte Critique is celebrating its 10th anniversary as a community connecting artists around Tokyo. Founded by Arthur Huang as a Tokyo Art Collective and think tank it has evolved into vital artistic network of printmakers, painters, sculptors, video artists, and more. Join us at Launch Pad Gallery for 10
Organized by member artist Deanna Gabiga, the exhibition includes both artists who are local to Tokyo, as well as international artists who have a history of working in Japan.
100 Works on Paper | Benefit Exhibition 2022
Kentler International Drawing Space
October 1 – 16, 2022
Kentler International Drawing Space supports both artists and the local Brooklyn community by promoting both the production and exhibition of works on paper. ALL PROCEEDS SUPPORT Kentler’s Exhibitions & Public Programs, The Kentler Flatfiles and K.I.D.S. Art Education. Kentler International Drawing Space, founded by two artists in 1990, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing to the public contemporary drawings and work on paper by emerging and under-recognized national and international artists, and to providing the opportunity to experiment, explore and expand the definition of art in society. Their benefit is a great way to support such a valuable artistic asset, while collecting a work of art at below market prices.
I will be teaching a workshop on Mokuhanga with Sumi Ink at the Two Rivers Print Studio in White River Junction, VT . The workshop will begin on October 28, with a one hour Zoom meeting, and then will meet in person on October 29 and October 30 from 10am - 4pm. Materials will be provided, so come with the spirit of experimentation and expression in this ecologically friendly material.
I will be giving a gallery talk at St Lawrence University’s Richard F Brush Gallery, in conjunction with the exhibition Wood Paper Ink. I will discuss the relevance of the water based printmaking method, mokuhanga, which is finding its voice internationally by an environmentally aware global community of artists.
Pattening
Circulation of the Light
My print collages, Circulation of the Light and Patterning will be included in the exhibition, Wood Paper Ink at the Richard F Brush Gallery at St Lawrence University, in Canton, NY from September 12- October 8, 2022.
Wood Paper Ink explores mokuhanga, a traditional method of Japanese water-based woodblock printing, and its expansion from Japan to the international world of contemporary art. Organized by the Mokuhanga Sisters and the Richard F. Brush Art Gallery, the exhibition presents diverse examples of the environmentally sustainable printmaking process.
My work, Awakening in the Darkening Night, will be included in Two Rivers Print Studio’s Faculty Exhibition, Multiple Avenues: Artists Explore Printmaking from September 9- October 31, 2022.
Opening reception will be on October 7 from 5-7pm.
Exhibiting artists include Michael Smoot, Susan Smereka, Jes Raymond, Lynn Newcomb, Mary Mead, Patty Hudak, Rachel Gross, and Janet Cathey. Though the work is widely varied, a common thread exists among these artists and teachers; each is constantly learning and exploring themselves, collaborating, drawing inspiration from mentors and others, and seeking balance.
This summer, (2022) my print collective, Mokuhanga Sisters collaborated with the Kentler International Drawing Space in Red Hook, Brooklyn to present the exhibition, Between Worlds: Mokuhanga. This exhibition explores the expansion of traditional Japanese woodblock printing (mokuhanga) from Japan into the global world of contemporary art and presents contemporary examples of this environmentally sustainable printmaking process.
My work included a 30 ft long print installation called Two Trees, named after the poem by WB Yeats. I am interested in the variety of imagery in Yeats poetry, where he relates nature to the experiences of love and death.
Also include is my mokuhanga print collage called Secret of the Flower, where I am combining energetic forms to create imagery related to explorations of mental expansion. This piece measures 36 x 48 inches.
We had a lot of success with this exhibition, forming a great relationship with the Kentler, and sharing the technical innovations of mokuhanga and contemporary themes of identity, place, environment, and gender from artists working around the world. We were so thankful to get a mention from Hyperallergic as well as from This Week in New York, and support from The Japan Foundation, St Lawrence University, Southern Vermont Arts Center, and others.
My work has been accepted to the The Kentler Flatfiles, at the Kentler International Drawing Center in Red Hook, Brooklyn.
The Kentler Flat Files are an essential element of Kentler International Drawing Space since its founding in 1990. A collection of over 2,000 artworks by local, national and international artists, this living archive represents the incredible breadth and diversity found in contemporary drawings and works on paper.
My work can by viewed through the Kentler’s digital files. Every artist has a link, my link is here: Patty Hudak in the Kentler Flat Files
You can also make an appointment at the gallery, here.
My installation, “Sailing to Byzantium” has found a permanent home in Ireland- remarkably, not too far from where my mother was born! Acquired by the author, journalist, and art collector, Olivia Cox-Fill, the work was recently celebrated at a reception at the author’s home in Lough Gur, where she hosted a garden party that included a tour of her extensive gardens. I had the pleasure of reading Yeats’ poem, under the canopy fo the installation, with some of the most interesting people I have every met. The conversation was lively and engaging, and the food was amazing!
My print collective, Mokuhanga Sisters invites you to submit your mokuhanga works for this juried exhibition. No submission fee!
The Richard F. Brush Art Gallery at St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York, announces a call for entry for original prints with an emphasis on mokuhanga.
Mokuhanga is a traditional Japanese style of woodblock printing that utilizes water-based inks and is printed by hand using a baren.
The exhibition will be juried by Mokuhanga Sisters, a print collective of nine international artists bound together by their love for mokuhanga.
All accepted works must utilize mokuhanga as the primary medium. Small 3-d works and artist’s books that utilize mokuhanga will also be considered; these accepted works may be displayed in glass exhibition cases. The exhibition will run from September 12 through October 8, 2022.All applications must be submitted via this link:
NEW PRINTS OFF THE BLOCK ENTRY FORM
This juried exhibition is open to all international artists. Work should have been created in the past 5 years. There is no fee to apply.
Thank you to Italian Art Historian Cinzia Franceschini and Perfect Picture Lights for featuring my work, Botanical Ornaments 5, in their intriguing series on color.
Here is a link to the article.
I am so thankful to announce that I received a Studios at Vermont Studio Center Grant, to support production of my mokuhanga prints. This will reduce my monthly rental costs to make the creation of these prints more sustainable, and allow me to develop them in the engaging setting of the Vermont Studio Center.
The grant to support studio rentals for Vermont artists is supported through the generosity of individuals and by grants from the Artist Resource Trust and the Oakland Foundation.
Thank you for supporting Vermont artists!