passage spitzack woodblock woodcut mokuhanga print printmaking washi seattle art

Title invokes movement through space — a corridor, doorway, channel of water, or a metaphysical transition. In mokuhanga, passage subjects have a long lineage: doorways and gates in temple scenes, bridges in Hiroshige's Edo views, or boats threading through narrow channels. Spitzack's contemporary treatment may select a Seattle-specific reading: the Lake Washington Ship Canal locks, ferry routes, or a local architectural threshold. The technique handles linear perspective and recession through layered impressions of carefully registered blocks, and the soft luminosity of water-based pigments on washi suits atmospheric depth without the gloss of oil-based prints. The print's title omits the untitled prefix used by many other works in the catalog, suggesting it carries a deliberately chosen subject. Within Spitzack's body of work, Passage likely functions as a more contemplative composition, alongside the observational and environmental prints that have brought his practice attention — including the 2024 award at the International Mokuhanga Conference in Echizen.