magnolia spitzack woodblock woodcut mokuhanga print printmaking washi seattle art

"Magnolia" places Spitzack within the kacho-e lineage of bird-and-flower imagery that has been central to Japanese woodblock practice since the Edo period, though here translated through a contemporary American sensibility. The magnolia, with its broad fleshy petals and exposed stamens, is well suited to mokuhanga: the medium's water-based pigments and absorbent washi support allow for soft bokashi gradations across each petal, capturing the characteristic blush from white through pink that defines the flower. A subject like this typically calls for several registered blocks — separate impressions for petal interiors, outlines, foliage, and ground tone — with the kento registration system holding each pull in alignment. Spitzack's engagement with this traditional genre, recognized at the 2024 International Mokuhanga Conference in Echizen, reflects how American practitioners are extending kacho-e conventions into local botanical subjects rather than reproducing Edo-period motifs.