at work spitzack woodblock woodcut mokuhanga print printmaking washi seattle art

"At Work" depicts a figure engaged in labor, a subject that connects to mokuhanga's long figurative tradition while shifting its frame from the bijin-ga and yakusha-e of Edo-period Ukiyo-e toward contemporary working life. Figural prints in this medium typically combine a key block carrying the linear drawing with several color blocks for skin tones, clothing, and ground, each registered through the kento system that holds the impressions in alignment. Bokashi can be used to soften shadows on fabric or model the recession of a face. The subject may reflect Spitzack's own studio practice — printers carving, brushing pigment, or pulling impressions with a baren — or a broader scene of manual work in a Seattle setting. The print fits within his sustained engagement with the medium recognized at the 2024 International Mokuhanga Conference in Echizen.