"Post-70s" printmaking artist Tan Junzao: Writing with a knife is full of weather

Tan Junzao is making prints. Photo by reporter Ma Liqing

Fuzhou Evening News reporter Ma Liqing correspondent Chen Xiaojing

Printmaking is an ancient art that integrates painting, carving and rubbing. Tan Junzao, a "post-70s" printmaking artist in Mawei District, uses a knife to portray thousands of weather, and is committed to giving this ancient art a new life.

The art of printmaking generally refers to woodblock prints. In simple terms, it is to draw a draft on a wooden board, then engrave the pattern with a knife, then paint it, cover it with paper and repeatedly rub it, and a print is completed.

Tan Junzao said that the picture of the printmaking is composed of black and white gray, dots and lines, using the method of "removing white and leaving black" to produce black and white effects, and using the denseness, length and size of the lines to present "gray tones" to make the picture more three-dimensional.

In the public's impression, prints are either black and white, or monotonous, while Tan Junzao's prints are colorful. The reporter saw a brightly colored printmaking vase in his studio, with more than a dozen colors in the work.

It is reported that in order to make the color layer of the work more abundant, Tan Junzao carved and rubbed one color block at a time, which is his best play - out-of-print chromatic technique.

"Simply put, it is to engrave and print at the same time, always making a fuss on a wooden board. Although time-consuming and laborious, the works created in this way are more artistically expressive. Tan Junzao said.

Tan Junzao and printmaking came together more than 20 years ago. After graduating from Xiamen University majoring in oil painting, Tan Junzao came to Mawei District as an art teacher in 1997. During his teaching, he learned about printmaking and began to tirelessly explore the world of printmaking.

After leaving the campus, Tan Junzao did not give up studying printmaking. In 2020, he opened a printmaking studio, where he created his own printmaking works and taught printmaking.

In order to let the children feel the charm of the prints, he innovatively replaced the wooden board with a special PVC plastic board to make it easier for them to carve. He also developed a paper engraving tutorial, allowing children to use different materials such as cardboard, napkins, tin foil, non-woven fabrics, etc., to cut out the flat outline of the image instead of the carving process, so that children can also enjoy the fun of printmaking.

"Now I am working with several Fuzhou lacquerware artists to discuss the feasibility of applying printmaking techniques in the production of lacquerware, so that the reproducibility of printmaking can be brought into play in the lacquerware process." Tan Junzao said.