Colorado artist Leon Loughridge creates and prints a Japanese-style moku hanga woodblock print over a three-day “gallery residency.” Stop in any time as the artist carves, inks and prints his detailed, limited-edition woodblock prints that feature Colorado landscapes in a Japanese style and technique. Ask questions and witness the process!
Using the Japanese moku hanga technique, Colorado artist Leon Loughridge creates rich woodblock prints of the American Southwest over a three-day “gallery residency” July 31 to August 2 at Ann Korologos Gallery in historic downtown Basalt. Stop in from 11am to 4pm daily as the artist carves, inks and prints his detailed, limited-edition woodblock prints that feature Colorado landscapes in a Japanese style and technique. Ask questions and witness the process!
Moku (wood) hanga (print) is a Japanese printmaking technique distinguished by its simplicity of material: wood, carving tool, water, paper, pigment, rice paste and baren. The mechanics of the process are simple, yet labor intensive, as every step is completely manual. “The more I learned about the moku hanga process, the more I moved away from traditional Western style relief printing,” shared Loughridge in International Artist Magazine. “What intrigues me most about the hand-printing process is that it is all about touch. As an artist, I learn everything about the language I work in, taking the vocabulary and making it my own. I look at the woodblocks as my woodblock paintings. The more comfortable one becomes with a process, the more fluid and creative one can be.”
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Raised in the open ranch land of Northern New Mexico, Leon Loughridge developed an early affinity for the Southwestern landscape. He was greatly influenced by his grandmother’s involvement in Northern New Mexico art circles and by his studies at the Colorado Institute of Art.
Stationed in Germany while in the army, he was able to travel extensively throughout Europe, visiting museums and filling journals with sketches. He studied painting techniques of the old masters for two years, finishing by copying a Franz Hals at the Stuttgart Stattsgalerie Art Museum. The museum’s collection of etchings held a special meaning for Leon.
On his return to Colorado, Leon studied intaglio techniques and began selling his prints in mountain galleries. In 1998, he purchased his first letterpress and received immediate success with the woodblock prints he produced. The subtle layering of color in the wood block process allows him to capture the atmospheric qualities of the Southwestern landscape.
Today, Leon Loughridge owns the Dry Creek Art Press publishing company, where he utilizes his printmaking skills to make reduction woodblocks, etchings and limited edition books, hand-printed on a 1920 Vandercook Flatbed Letterpress.
His work is exhibited nationally and collected by numerous museums including the Denver Art Museum, the Denver Public Library, and the Colorado History Museum. Loughridge was selected to be the featured artist for the 2005 Colorado Mountain Landscape Exhibition and Sale, and his work has been on display in the annual Coors Western Art Exhibit and Sale since 2015.
