"american junk" woodcut print by artist charles spitzack speedo american flag mens befiefs woodblock mokuhanga fine art print

A second print in Spitzack's "american junk" group, sharing title and core motifs with its companion impressions: American flag patterning paired with men's swim briefs. In mokuhanga, separate impressions from a single set of blocks can produce visibly distinct prints through choices of pigment density, ink mixing, paper, and bokashi gradient direction. The presence of three prints under the same title suggests Spitzack is exploring this tradition of variation, treating the work as a small series rather than a fixed image. The wordplay on "junk" as both sailing vessel (signaled by the Boats & Ships tagging) and contemporary American refuse holds across all three. Hard-edged flag elements would benefit from precise kentō registration, while soft transitions in fabric or skin tone call for bokashi work with damp washi and the baren. Spitzack's sustained handling of these techniques places the print within the lineage of American mokuhanga that the International Mokuhanga Conference in Echizen has helped cultivate as a transnational contemporary field.