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Gyotaku for Kids: The ancient Japanese art of printing fish with Jill Saxton Smith

  • Workshop SLC 153 2100 South South Salt Lake, UT, 84115 United States (map)

Ages 5 and up

Date: Saturday, April 24, 2021

Times: 10:00 am - 12:00 pm

Cost: $45

Materials will be provided, please bring a water bottle and a snack.


Workshop description

Come explore Gyotaku, (魚拓, from gyo "fish" + taku “ impression"), the traditional Japanese method of printing fish with artist Jill Saxton Smith.  In this kids’ workshop we’ll learn how fishermen recorded their big catch of the day in the 1800s and how it has become an art form of its own. We will be using nature printing as a method to create  big, colorful, and naturalistic underwater scenes. 


About the Instructor

Jill Saxton Smith is a U.S. artist that has been living and working as an artist internationally for the past 15 years. Jill earned a BFA from Utah State University in painting and printmaking and received her MFA from Emily Carr University of Art and Design. Her experience gained while living in the U.S., Egypt, Zimbabwe and Guatemala have given her unique opportunities and insights that have greatly impacted and enriched her artwork and career as a studio artist.  

Her interdisciplinary work calls attention to the felt experiences, both physiological and psychological, that comprise and shape our being-in-the-world. She explores themes such as comfort, dislocation and the sense of home. Her investigation concerns whether these emotions and inner experiences can be transferred and embodied in the intuitive processes and simple materials she draws on to create her work.

She exhibits her work internationally on three continents, including at The National Gallery of Zimbabwe. She has given lectures, taught workshops and demonstrated her art as a visiting artist to a variety of schools and organizations with a special interest in underprivileged and disabled artists.

Instagram is a great way to follow Jill’s work!

instagram.com/jillsaxtonsmithstudio 

www.JillSaxtonSmith.com