invasive species chain link fence spitzack woodblock woodcut mokuhanga print printmaking washi seattle art

Title indicates a study of invasive plants — likely English ivy, Himalayan blackberry, or Japanese knotweed, all common in the Pacific Northwest urban landscape — growing through or against a chain link fence. The juxtaposition of the regular geometric grid of the fence with the organic, sprawling forms of invasive vegetation offers compositional contrast suited to mokuhanga's strengths. The technique allows precise linear elements (the fence diamonds) registered against modulated color fields for foliage, with bokashi gradients possible in shadows or ambient light. The subject reflects Spitzack's documentary attention to Seattle's urban ecology — overlooked landscapes shaped by neglect, plant succession, and ecological disruption. Within the broader American mokuhanga community, this kind of close-observation work, treating ordinary contemporary scenes with the patient hand-printing of the Japanese tradition, is one of the medium's distinguishing contemporary uses. The water-based pigments on washi yield the matte, layered surface that suits foliage rendered through successive impressions.