Process
Behind the paintings is a studio practice built on old tools and hand-forged materials — inks made from foraged pigment sources, and a 1913 Fuchs & Lang lithographic press anchoring the print work. This is where the Moku-Hanga woodblock prints will take shape.
A 1913 Fuchs & Lang Lithographic Press
The studio is built around a 1913 Fuchs & Lang lithographic press — a century-old piece of equipment that anchors the print practice and will carry the Moku-Hanga work as it develops.
Hand-Forged Inks
Rather than working exclusively from tube paint, John forges his own inks from foraged material — pokeberries and acorns among them — bottled and worked into the palette alongside traditional pigment.
Boiled Down to Pigment
The foraged material is reduced on the burner until it breaks down into a workable pigment — the step where raw plant matter actually becomes ink.