Self Study

This 2015 self-portrait in mokuhanga places Moilanen in a tradition of artists using the print medium to examine their own likeness — a practice that tests the technique's capacity for nuanced tonal modeling of the human face. Unlike the broadly inked areas suited to landscape, portraiture in mokuhanga demands fine registration and controlled pigment application across many blocks to render the subtleties of skin tone and expression. The water-based pigments on [washi](/glossary/washi) produce a characteristically matte, luminous surface distinct from oil portraiture. The title's word 'study' implies an analytical, process-oriented approach rather than a formal presentation, suggesting the work foregrounds the artist's engagement with both medium and subject simultaneously.