Finnish Woodcut Artists Society is a non-profit artist group. It was founded in Helsinki on the 10th October 2014 for advancing communication and friendship between woodcut artists. Promoting the unique Finnish woodcut art internationally is also one of our goals. The Society consists of professional print artists and talented students in woodblock printmaking. We are joined together by our passion to carve and create.
Woodcut is the oldest printmaking method in the world. It was invented in China over 1500 years ago. In Japan woodblock printmaking technique was developed into multicolored ”brocade prints” of ukiyo-e during the 18th century. In Europe woodblock printing started in 14th century along with the knowledge of papermaking. Woodcuts were first used mainly for book illustration. Printmaking became independent art in the turn of the 20th century when Japanese art and ukiyo-e prints gave inspiration to many European artists and designers. The members of the Finnish Woodcut Artists Society continue this long and powerful tradition of handmade prints. We are constantly developing our techniques and expression for enjoyment of all print art lovers.