McClain’s turns 40!

July 16th, 2019

Left to Right: Ally, Kaitlyn, Christin, Alex and Daniel

In July, 1979 Robert “Bob” McClain issued what we believe was his first list of Moku Hanga (woodblock print) Tools and Supplies. His hand-drawn illustrations and typed descriptions are carefully pasted onto a single sheet of paper. Almost all of the supplies he sold then we are still selling today, plus hundreds more to support a wide range of relief printmaking techniques. I think Bob would be surprised and pleased to see how popular Moku Hanga is around the world, and how far McClain’s Printmaking Supplies has come in the past forty years. This business grew out of his desire to teach and promote Moku Hanga in the United States and we do our best to follow Bob’s example by helping you – our fellow relief printmakers – find the supplies and advice you need to succeed. In return, your support has made us the company we are today. Here’s to our next 40 years creating prints together! CHEERS!

Visit the McClain’s Anniversary Sale Page to see all the 40th celebration goodies!

The beautiful and delicious cake Christin made for McClain’s 40th Birthday!

The “Exquisite Gorge” Project

View of the Columbia River Gorge, Washington side looking at Oregon

The Maryhill Museum of Art of Goldendale, Washington is hosting a collaborative printmaking project that we are very excited about. “Exquisite Gorge” (inspired by the Surrealist drawing game exquisite corpse) will feature a massive 66-foot long woodblock print of various aspects of the beautiful Columbia River Gorge that establishes the state boundaries of Oregon and Washington. The project involves 11 artists who are currently working with communities along the river to create 4×6 ft blocks that will be steamroller printed on Saturday, August 24th, 2019 at the Maryhill Museum of Art. All the prints will be displayed together to create the 66-foot print. This steamroller event is open to the public.

 “The Columbia River weaves lives together in the most amazing ways,” says Louise Palermo, Curator of Education at Maryhill Museum of Art. “The Exquisite Gorge Project brings communities together with artists to share their experience of home in the form of a woodblock print, metaphorically as big as the river itself…”

The Columbia is deeply rooted in the history of the Pacific NorthWest and we hope that someday you have the opportunity to visit the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area.

Find out more about the project at the Maryhill Museum of Art

Older Newsletters