love birds pratt valentines day card parrot woodblock woodcut Japanese mokuhanga print printmaking washi seattle art fine printmaker nw printmaking relief prints tree white flowers color woodcut contemporary artist pnw seattle print arts

A Valentine's Day card for Pratt Fine Arts Center in Seattle, depicting parrots—'love birds'—against a setting that includes tree and flower elements. Pratt is a nonprofit center for the visual arts in Seattle that offers instruction in printmaking, and Spitzack's contribution to their valentine series places him within the Seattle printmaking community. The composition adapts the kacho-e (bird-and-flower) tradition, with parrots replacing the cranes, sparrows, and herons typical of historical Japanese prints. Cut by hand and printed by baren on washi with water-based pigments, the work uses mokuhanga's capacity for saturated color, suited to the plumage of tropical parrots, while bokashi handles softer tonal transitions in the foliage. The Valentine's Day occasion positions the print as functional ephemera alongside fine art, recalling how Edo-period surimono were produced for specific occasions, gift exchanges, and seasonal greetings. Spitzack's contributions to local arts organizations form a parallel to his international mokuhanga conference recognition at Echizen in 2024.