Ascent

Ascent is a mokuhanga collage mounted on wood panel, a format Hudak uses to layer printed washi fragments into dimensional surfaces that exceed the flatness of conventional printmaking. The title suggests upward movement — perhaps rising forms, atmospheric gradation, or vertical compositional thrust — executed through the water-based pigment and rice-paste technique central to mokuhanga. Collage elements likely incorporate torn or cut printed sheets, allowing bokashi gradients from individual layers to interact in unexpected ways. The wood panel support gives the work an object-like presence, positioning it between print and painting. Hudak's background in biological illustration and her engagement with the supernatural inform this kind of ambiguous imagery, where natural phenomena and imaginative transformation coexist.