The Water Table

'The Water Table' (2018) is an abstract mokuhanga woodcut printed on Echizen Hongusa Torinoko washi, a smooth, dense Japanese paper prized for its ability to receive watercolor pigment with precision and evenness. The title invokes the geological concept of the subsurface water level, suggesting a composition organized around horizontal stratification — layers of tone or color that evoke the boundary between saturated and unsaturated earth. Clark's mastery of bokashi gradation, achieved by applying water and pigment to the woodblock in overlapping passes with a dampened baren, likely produces soft tonal transitions across the picture plane. The choice of Torinoko washi supports subtle shifts in value without hard edges, reinforcing the sense of depth and permeation associated with underground water. As a work published through the Mokuhanga Project Space, it reflects the organization's focus on commissioning technically rigorous contemporary prints within the traditional Japanese watercolor woodblock idiom.