Generation

'Generation' is a 2002 mokuhanga on [washi](/glossary/washi) that stands among Vollmer's earlier abstract works, produced before her teaching practice reached its widest audience and before her 2015 instructional publication. The title suggests biological reproduction, temporal succession, or the transmission of forms across iterations — concerns that align naturally with printmaking, a medium in which a single carved block can generate multiple impressions across time. The mokuhanga process, with its emphasis on water-based pigments absorbed into dampened washi, produces prints that carry the specific tonal and textural character of each paper's surface, making each impression a distinct event even within an edition. The abstract classification indicates the generative theme is treated formally rather than through representational imagery, likely through repeated or evolving geometric units, layered color fields, or forms that suggest growth and cellular division.