float on spitzack woodblock woodcut mokuhanga print printmaking washi seattle art

A title evoking water, buoyancy, or release — possibly a literal floating subject (a boat, a leaf, a body) or a metaphorical state. Water and floating motifs have deep roots in Japanese woodblock printing, from Hokusai's wave compositions to Hiroshige's river crossings, and mokuhanga's water-based medium is especially apt for such subjects: pigments brushed with rice-paste sizing onto cherry blocks transfer onto dampened [washi](/glossary/washi) with a quality of absorption that mirrors water itself. [Bokashi](/glossary/bokashi) gradations can articulate the meeting of water surface and air, the dispersal of light through current, or the soft edges where solid form yields to liquid. Spitzack's American mokuhanga practice extends these technical capacities into contemporary subject matter, demonstrating the kind of sustained engagement with the medium that distinguishes serious practitioners. This print belongs to the 2024-era body of work that secured Spitzack's recognition at the International Mokuhanga Conference in Echizen.