Untitled

This untitled woodblock print is part of Karen Pittman's contribution to contemporary American mokuhanga, the tradition that has been revived in North America through teaching residencies in Japan and the network of artists associated with the International Mokuhanga Conference. As a mokuhanga rather than a relief print made with oil-based inks, the impression is produced with water-based pigments, rice paste, and a hand-held [baren](/glossary/baren), and printed onto sheets of [washi](/glossary/washi) that have been dampened so the fibers receive the color. The medium imposes a particular working logic: each color requires its own carved block, and the order of impressions affects how layers interact, since later passes of pigment can settle into or sit above earlier ones. Many contemporary practitioners, including those selected for the IMC Americas exhibition in Echizen in 2024, treat the medium as a vehicle for personal imagery rather than reproductive printmaking, and Pittman's untitled designation reflects that orientation toward the print as an autonomous object.