O’Hanlon to Screen ‘Journey to Hokusai’ on Artist Tom Killion’s Quest to Learn Japanese Hand-Printing Method

Take it from acclaimed Mill Valley woodblock print artist Tom Killion: it’s never too late to learn a new skill, even if the quest takes you so far afield that you end up at a papermaker that’s been in business for 1,500 years in a tiny Japanese village.

Journey to Hokusai, a new documentary from Chikara Motomura that screens at the O’Hanlon Center for the Arts on Friday, Nov. 15, charts the journey of Killion, the creator of iconic California landscapes influenced by traditional Japanese techniques using linoleum and wood, to learn the traditional Japanese method of printing by hand.

Deeply inspired by the renowned 19th-century artist Hokusai, who was famous for his Ukiyo-e woodblock prints and paintings, Killion made a pilgrimage to Japan to study under Kenji Takenaka, a fifth-generation master printer in Kyoto. As he learns new techniques and trades in his oil-based ink for traditional watercolor, Killion discovers more and more about the history of printmaking.His odyssey takes him to a papermaker that is still in business after 1,500 years and to the quiet village of Obuse, where Hokusai spent his final years. Journey to Hokusai is an intimate exploration of the connection between two artists from different worlds.

The film recently screened as part of the 42nd Mill Valley Film Festival. Both Killion and Motomura are attending the O’Hanlon event to answer questions.

The 411: Journey to Hokusai, a new documentary from Chikara Motomura about artist Tom Killion‘s journey to learn the traditional Japanese method of printing by hand, screens at the O’Hanlon Center for the Arts on Friday, Nov. 15. Doors 6:30pm, screening at 7pm. 616 Throckmorton Ave. Tix $15. MORE INFO & TIX. Trailer: https://vimeo.com/273780152

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