clock tower spitzack woodblock woodcut mokuhanga print printmaking washi seattle art

An architectural study of a clock tower rendered in mokuhanga. Tower subjects offer compositional advantages well-matched to woodblock printing: strong vertical geometry, clear silhouette against sky, and discrete tonal zones from masonry, clockface, and surrounding atmosphere. Carving such a subject requires careful key-block work to articulate the dial, hands, and architectural ornament, while successive color blocks handle stone tonality and sky [bokashi](/glossary/bokashi). Spitzack's practice in the medium is characterized by sustained study rather than the brief workshop exposure many Western printmakers settle for, and architectural subjects benefit particularly from this commitment — they reward the patience that mokuhanga demands. As with much American mokuhanga that engages local civic architecture, the work participates in a broader translation: applying the visual logic of Edo-period [meisho-e](/glossary/meisho-e) to recognizable contemporary structures. The piece sits within the 2024-period body that earned Spitzack recognition in Echizen.