Shade

The title invites consideration of tonal gradation — bokashi, the wet-on-wet color-blending technique central to mokuhanga, is the principal resource the medium offers for this end. Worked with the baren on damp washi, plant-based pigment can resolve from saturation to white without visible edge, and Shade likely incorporates such a passage as a structural element. Jung overlays the mokuhanga gradient with silkscreened or etched marks of greater specificity, allowing the soft underlying ground to register through more graphically defined elements above. The plant-based dyes she uses give the gradient a depth that shifts subtly in different light, an effect that distinguishes natural colorants from synthetic inks. Shade reflects the orientation of Jung's studio practice over the past decade toward mokuhanga and plant-based pigment, alongside her teaching of the medium at the University of Iowa within a broader print curriculum that also includes intaglio, silkscreen, and natural dyes. Her recent work in this direction has been recognized at Japanese international print biennials.