This page and its subsequent pages deal with western style relief woodblock printing and the traditional Japanese method called “Moku Hanga” (literal translation for woodblock printing).

The Moku Hanga method uses three ingredients – dried pigments, water and rice paste as a binder. It is hand printed with a baren on paper made of long and strong fibres of the bark of the mulberry tree or from fibres of other plants such as gampi. Japanese prints were all the rage around a hundred and fifty years ago.

The rage, called “Japonisme”, inspired, among many others, Vincent van Gogh, Matisse and Henri de Toulouse Lautrec. The method itself was introduced to France by Henri Rivière, who made wonderful prints of the Breton way of life.

Every woodcut print in the gallery is an original hand-made print. The whole process, from concept, design, drawing or transferring onto a woodblock, to carving and printing is all done by me. The woodblock is used for the sole purpose of producing the desired image. Each print has a dedicated page with photos showing more about the various stages of the process.

Editions could be as many as 100 impressions but may be limited to 20 or 30. Every print has a number like this – 15/40 – indicating it is print number 15 out of an edition of 40. The title, date and my signature are in pencil at the bottom.

woodcut print designs and other artwork on this website are copyright © ACW ten Broek

Items currently for sale appear in the “shop”. If it isn’t there it means that it is not for sale.

To see an enlarged view of the print, click on the item on the shop page, click on a thumbnail image below the main picture, then hover the cursor over the main image of the print.

To make a purchase, simply add any item for sale to your shopping cart and then follow the sales procedure.

Please feel free to contact me by email if you would like more information. You can expect a reply within 48 hours.

Check out the FAQ page, but if your query is not covered there, feel free to contact me.