Following the Grain: An Evening with Keiko Hara at Washington Printmakers Gallery
We recently welcomed internationally acclaimed artist Keiko Hara for an evening exploring mokuhanga, the traditional Japanese art of water-based woodblock printing.
Based in Walla Walla, Washington, Hara has spent more than four decades expanding printmaking through her distinctive blend of mokuhanga, painting, stenciling, collage, and installation. Her prints are distinguished by luminous layers, nuanced color shifts, and a strong sense of place.
During her presentation, Hara shared insights into her creative process and discussed how mokuhanga differs from Western woodcut traditions. Using water-based pigments and hand printing rather than a mechanical press, the technique emphasizes a close relationship between artist, paper, pigment, and touch. Hara has transformed this centuries-old process into a distinctly contemporary visual language.
What makes Hara's work especially compelling is the way it dissolves boundaries. Printmaking and painting, East and West, abstraction and landscape all become fluid. Layers of color emerge and recede, inviting contemplation rather than explanation, while rewarding close looking with subtle shifts in tone, texture, and transparency.
The evening reminded attendees that printmaking is far more than image reproduction. In Hara's hands, each print becomes a record of accumulated decisions, layers, and gestures, inviting viewers to slow down and discover the poetic possibilities of the medium.
We are grateful to all who attended and made the event such a success. Special thanks to Rosemary and Joe who, with Susan Goldman, organized all aspects of the special evening; to Keiko Hara who joined after a full day at Montgomery College, where she led a session on Moku Hanga, for Susan’s film crew who documented the evening for her forthcoming film about Keiko; to Marie who represented the Washington Print Foundation (WPF), which sponsored the event, including WPF President, Ron Meick, who traveled in from Wilmington, DE to attend, Sarah Barzmehri assisted with setup and takedown, and Caroline Clyne who welcomed guests and coordinated film releases.
-by Washington Printmakers Gallery
Photo credit: Rosemary Cooley
For more information, visit Keiko Hara’s website: www.keikohara.com