Angel

Printed on mura [washi](/glossary/washi) — a cloud-effect paper prized in mokuhanga for its soft, irregular texture and organic surface variation — 'Angel' from 2015 is an abstract woodcut in which the substrate itself becomes a compositional element. Mura washi's mottled surface, caused by uneven fiber distribution during papermaking, introduces tonal unpredictability that Vollmer works with rather than against. The title invites spiritual or ethereal readings, though the work is formally abstract, likely built from layered geometric or biomorphic forms in which light and dark areas suggest mass and luminosity. Woodcut on this ground demands careful registration and pressure calibration, as the paper's irregular thickness affects ink absorption. The choice of a hand-pressed woodcut technique rather than mokuhanga's water-based approach may imply a drier, more graphic quality, with harder edges and stronger contrast, lending the composition an austere presence appropriate to its title's connotations.