I Promise

In this mokuhanga woodcut, an animal figure anchors a scene of pledge or commitment, the title invoking the fragile weight of spoken assurance. Farkas uses the animal — likely a solitary creature rendered with careful attention to posture and gaze — to externalize an interior human state. The mokuhanga process allows for layered, translucent color built up through successive passes of water-based pigment applied to the carved woodblock, creating tonal depth without the opacity of oil-based inks. Handset letterpress text is embedded within the composition, its typeface and placement chosen to complement rather than overwhelm the carved imagery. Printed on washi, the surface retains the warmth and grain characteristic of traditional Japanese printmaking materials, grounding this contemporary American work within a centuries-old technical lineage.