Dear Mr. Pinkwater:
I’m writing in response to your recent commentary on the woodcut aritst Shiko Munakata, heard on NPR.
I’m not one to respond to something I hear on the radio, but I had to tell you how deeply touched I was when I heard this story.
I’m a printmaker who also has the “woodcut bug.” I was in a similar situation in college and took a printmaking course as a requirement for my degree. I immediately was drawn to this medium. I love the way you described the tools and the paper… it’s so accurate.
I first saw the artist Munakata in a printmaking book called: “The Japanese Print: A Historical Guide” by Hugo Munsterberg (1982). I LOVE his work. It seems incredible that people are not familiar his prints.
I wanted to send you one of my woodcuts prints, but don’t have an address for you. To describe my work: I like to use Hosho paper, and my cuts are quick. Perhaps I can e-mail these images to you?
Actually, I applied to graduate school at Lawrence, but the art building burned down, which I thought was sort of extreme. They could have just sent me a rejection letter. Some day I have to write up the story of when I bought a whole bunch of rice paper in Japan, and told the guy in the paper store I wanted to buy a brush too--and he sent me to the brushmaker, which turned out to be a whole unexpected adventure. I'd love to see your work.
