Paula Nishikawara

UPCOMING WORKSHOPS 2026:

August 1: 12-2:00 and 3:00-5:00 pm
August 2: 12:00-3:00
50th Annual Powell Street Festival

located at the Japanese Canadian Legacies Society booth in Oppenheimer Park
Rain or Shine

Gyotaku Workshops

Gulf of Georgia Cannery, Steveston with Nishikawara, hosted a Gyotaku Workshop as part of the Prawn and Seafood Festival and World Ocean Day events.
Saturday June 6, 2026

Gyotaku Workshops during Biodiversity Days with the Ucluelet Aquarium and Westcoast Nest in Tofino - May 21,22,23, 2026 in Tofino and Ucluelet. The fish were "bycatch" donated from a local fish processor. There was lively discussion about fishing practises and "what is bycatch"?

Ships to Shore with the tall ship from Japan - the "Kaiwo Maru" May 2,3 at Garry Point, Steveston

Nikkei National Museum , Burnaby - April 26, 2026. A great workshop at the National Museum. It was an honour to have a full house to try this traditional Japanese art form.

Workshops in Japan - Yokosuka, Osaka, Sapporo, Hakodate late 2025. Friends from America living and visiting, a couple from California, an impromptu event at a hotel in the countryside near Sapporo, and a gathering in a hotel in Hakodate with squid from a local fisherman!

Tokyo, Japan - May 2025

They had a great time choosing their fish at the market then walking back through Ueno Park to our workshop space.
These friends were visiting from France and it worked out that we were both in Japan at the same time so another lucky coincidence enabled them to try their hand at the Japanese art of Gyotaku. Also in the group was a newly discovered second cousin of mine who was curious to try an art that his great Uncle had practised.

Sunny Days in Kanonji, Kagawa, Shikoku, Japan- April 2025

The two day grand opening event celebrating the brand new building for Bright Eikawa English School!
Everyone wanted to try making a fish print! Hundreds of people tried Gyotaku for the first time.
Handling fish is so common for Japanese kids, they enjoyed touching them, painting them and making Gyotaku. They are learning English, so as well as teaching me some more Japanese, I helped them remember their colours and a few more basic words in English. There was so much variety and the fish were so fresh! The washi (Japanese paper) was from a local shop in Kanonji and the fresh fish came from Kochi, a neighbouring prefecture.

Ueno Park/ Yanaka Tokyo, Japan:
Gyotaku Workshop March 2025
Travelers from Chicago wanted to participate in a Japanese cultural activity that would be less common than activities like tea ceremony, or kimono for eg. I looked for paper, set up the room, found paint, brushes and supplies........
They took part in choosing the fish at Tsukiji fish market (after an early morning viewing of the Tuna auction at Toyosu at 5am) washing and preparing their choices and finally printing on paper and a shirt they bought from Lawsons! It was definitely a unique experience for them.

Gyotaku Workshops

Transforming real fish forms; learn the traditional Japanese art of creating art prints from real fish. You will learn how to handle the special Washi (Japanese paper), paint and the fish to make several of your own prints.

- No experience necessary
- 6 yr and up (with supervision)
- All materials provided (Washi, Sumi ink or paint, brushes, real fish)

Gyotaku - getting the first print

cyanotype Workshops

Saturday July 8, 2023 12:00-2:00 pm

Register here

Join us for this exciting Cyanotype workshop in collaboration with Gallery 881. This is an all ages event. We encourage families and friends to join us as we use the power of the sun to make art! At the end of the workshop, we will present the artwork in Gallery 881 for the day of the event.

What is a Cyanotype?

Cyanotype is one of the oldest photographic processes that does not require a camera. Your project gets exposed to the sun to create beautiful images on light-sensitive paper, fabric, or other mediums.

Materials are supplied however, bringing your own objects to expose will surely personalize your pieces. These could include film negatives and film positives printed from a home printer or any image printed on transparent film. Organic matter such as leaves, flowers, feathers and branches. Other 3D objects such as small toys, shells, glass, lace, papers or just about anything that will fit on your surface and block or filter UV light will work. Different objects and exposure times create interesting, spontaneous and unpredictable results. Feel free to contact us with any questions.

Yes an online Gyotaku Workshop! From anywhere in the world you can join in and experience the delight of printing from nature.
Look what was created in Mexico and Germany.
Our next course will be in September so stay tuned for dates.......