Biography
Paul Furneaux is a Scottish artist and master printmaker born in Ellon, Scotland, in 1962, who has been working with mokuhanga (traditional Japanese watercolour woodblock printing) for over two decades. He is widely recognized as one of the leading mokuhanga practitioners in Europe and a highly regarded authority on printmaking in Scotland.
Furneaux studied Drawing and Painting at Edinburgh College of Art from 1982 to 1987. In 1996, he won the Monbusho Scholarship, which took him to Japan, where he completed a Master's degree in woodblock printing at Tama Art University in Tokyo from 1998 to 2000. This extended period of study in Japan gave him a deep understanding of traditional mokuhanga techniques and materials.
In 2006, he was elected a Member of the Royal Scottish Academy (RSA), one of Scotland's highest honors for visual artists. His layered, abstract works echo the colours, shapes, and textures of both Scottish and Japanese landscapes. His concern for the ever-changing landscape and global warming is often present in his work, with rain appearing as an environmental response that continues to inhabit his thoughts.
Furneaux regularly leads workshops and demonstrations in mokuhanga and has served as a mentor to other European mokuhanga artists, including Vladimir Ivaneanu. He contributes to Mokublad, the newsletter of the Mokuhanga Magic community. He was selected for the juried exhibitions at the International Mokuhanga Conferences in Nara (2021) and Echizen (2024), where his prints were displayed in the Europe and Africa regional exhibition. His work is represented by Rabley Gallery in Wiltshire, England.
Key Facts
- Nationality
- 🇬🇧United Kingdom
- Movement
- Contemporary Mokuhanga
Frequently Asked Questions
Paul Furneaux is a Scottish artist and master printmaker born in Ellon, Scotland, in 1962, who has been working with mokuhanga (traditional Japanese watercolour woodblock printing) for over two decades. He is widely recognized as one of the leading mokuhanga practitioners in Europe and a highly regarded authority on printmaking in Scotland.
Paul Furneaux's work was shaped by the Contemporary Mokuhanga tradition in Japanese woodblock printmaking. Contemporary Mokuhanga: Contemporary mokuhanga (literally "wood-block print") encompasses artists working from approximately 1970 to the present who continue or reinvent traditional Japanese woodblock printing techniques.
Paul Furneaux's prints frequently feature nature, etching, abstract, night scenes, trees, landscapes.
Paul Furneaux is a contemporary printmaker working in the mokuhanga (Japanese woodblock) tradition. Their work contributes to the living tradition of Japanese woodblock printing. Prices for contemporary mokuhanga prints range from $100 for smaller works to $1,500 for major compositions. Most prints sell in the $180–$600 range. The global mokuhanga community has been growing, with increasing exhibition opportunities and collector interest. Contemporary mokuhanga represents an affordable entry point for collectors.