Sealion Series: Misty Rainbow

Part of Moilanen's 2023 Sealion Series, this mokuhanga print depicts sea lions against a coastal seascape suffused with the diffuse light of a rainbow emerging through marine mist. The water-based pigments of mokuhanga are particularly suited to rendering atmospheric moisture, and Moilanen likely employs graded [bokashi](/glossary/bokashi) to dissolve the horizon and blend the arc of spectral color into a hazy sky. The sea lions, rendered with direct observation, anchor the composition against this ephemeral backdrop. The print reflects the artist's characteristic fusion of specific animal subjects with the luminous, moisture-laden atmospheric effects that mokuhanga can produce through successive registered impressions on absorbent [washi](/glossary/washi).