Mokuhanga Japanese Printmaking Workshop
August 23 @ 1.00pm - 5.00pm
€30
Mokuhanga Japanese Printmaking Workshop with artist Kate MacDonagh
1pm to 5pm; All materials supplied
Tickets €30 on Eventbrite • Places are limited
This workshop introduces the traditional Japanese woodblock printing technique known as Mokuhanga, which is characterized by the use of water-based pigments, hand printing without a press, and an eco-friendly, handmade process. The technique is known for its subtlety, aesthetic quality, and sustainable approach to materials. It is applied across various contemporary art and graphic fields – from traditional prints and book illustrations to design and animation.
During the workshop, participants will become familiar with the historical and technical context of Mokuhanga, as well as the step-by-step process – from sketch to final print – using tools such as carving knives, the baren (printing pad), pigments, and Japanese washi paper.
This printmaking workshop is presented by the OPW in support of the Farmleigh Gallery exhibition Kwaidan – Encounters with Lafcadio Hearn, which runs until Sunday 24th August, and as part of the Farmleigh House cultural programme for 2025. It takes place between 1pm and 5pm on Saturday 23rd August 2025. The limited available places can be booked on www.eventbrite.ie
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Biography
Kate MacDonagh is a Sligo born Artist where she works from her studio at The Model. She studied at Limerick School of Art and Design, Bellas Artes Madrid, Spain, Bob Blackburn Printmaking Studio, New York, MI-LAB, Fujikawaguchiko, Japan. Kate is a member of Graphic Studio, Dublin, Ireland, and an Associate Member of Royal Society of Painters and Printmakers, London. She is also a member of the Mokuhanga Sisters Global Collective.
Exhibitions include:
Guardian International Printmaking Conference Beijing,China.
NOT ABOUT THE RAIN International Print Exhibition Klaipeda, Lithuania.
KWAIDAN Encounters with Lafcadio Hearn, World Expo, Osaka, Japan.
RE International Pint Exhibition Bankside Gallery, London.
BETWEEN WORLDS Kentler International Drawing Centre, Brooklyn, New York.
MASABAN Udatsu Paper Museum, Echizen, Japan.
RHA Annual Exhibition, Royal Hibernian Academy, Dublin.
Global Dimensions, Mokuhanga Invitational, Walla Walla, Washington State, USA.
NEBENSONNEN , Seidlvilla, Munich, Germany.
MONOCHROMATIC Graphic Studio Gallery, Dublin.
Her work is held in public and private collections including The Ashmolean Museum, UK. Office of Public Works, Ireland. Richard F Brush Museum, St. Lawerence University, Canton, New York. Department of Foreign Affairs, Ireland and Japan. Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council, Dublin. Ballinglen Art Foundation Museum, Ireland and Tipperary County Museum, Clonmel, Ireland.
She is recipient of numerous awards and residencies including: Graphic Studio Wilkinson Award, RHA Annual Exhibition Dublin. Ireland. Centre Cultural Irlandais, Paris, France. The Model Sligo, Ireland. MI-LAB Artist Residency , Japan. Colony of Painters, Islake, Slovenia. Ballinglen Arts Foundation, Mayo, Ireland.
Artist Statement:
Kate MacDonagh is an Abstract Artist whose work explores dualities of light and dark, scale and ephemerality, stillness and movement, the spectral and the material. Since spending a considerable amount of time in Japan over the past decade, Kate’s primary focus is on Mokuhanga water-based woodcut. From carving blocks to making prints, the carvings have become objects in themselves. It is important to her to work with sustainable materials. Mokuhanga, because of its sensuous, media qualities it is a slow, quiet process. The dialogue with the materials is an essential element of both the process and the outcome.
