Episode Details

For many artists, an art career takes many twists and turns—an adventure shaped by different mediums, jobs, and ways of sustaining creative work while at the same time, educating oneself with the histories of your chosen path.

On this episode of The Unfinished Print: A Mokuhanga Podcast, I speak with printmaker Charles Spitzack. We talk about his discovery of mokuhanga and how it connects to his broader printmaking practice. Charles shares his early experiences making mokuhanga, his teaching methods, and how his understanding of the medium developed through a Western American perspective. He also speaks about his time at the Mokuhanga Project Space, and his thoughts on the differences between oil-based and water-based mokuhanga.

Please follow The Unfinished Print: A Mokuhanga Podcast and my own mokuhanga work on Instagram @andrezadoroznyprints or email me theunfinishedprint@gmail.com

Notes: may contain a hyperlink. Simply click on the highlighted word or phrase.

Artists works follow after the note if available. Pieces are mokuhanga unless otherwise noted. Dimensions are given if known. Print publishers are given if known.

Charles Spitzack - website, Instagram

Seattle Print Arts - is a printmaking association based in Seattle, Washington, United States. It maintains a membership and is dedicated to the exchange of knowledge related to various printmaking practices. More info can be found, here.

High Point Center for Printmaking -is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. It is dedicated to increasing the understanding of printmaking and operates a co-op, gallery, and educational programs. More info can be found, here.

Cornish College of the Arts - is an independent art college located in Seattle, Washington, United States. Its programs emphasize experimentation and critical thinking. More info can be found, here.

Mokuhanga (木版画) - is a Japanese word meaning "wood" and "print." Traditionally, it refers to a relief printing method using woodblocks, water, natural handmade papers, and water-based pigments. With the rise of the sōsaku hanga (creative print) movement in the early to mid 20th century, mokuhanga expanded to include works made with Western oil pigments as well.

Today, mokuhanga can be difficult to define, as many artists experiment with new approaches while others remain dedicated to traditional water-based methods. This balance between innovation and tradition shows that mokuhanga is limitless, continually evolving while still grounded in its past.

sōsaku-hanga - or creative prints, is a style of printmaking which is predominantly, although not exclusively, prints made by one person. It started in the early twentieth century in Japan, in the same period as the shin-hanga movement. The artist designs, carves, and prints their own works. The designs, especially in the early days, may seem rudimentary but the creation of self-made prints was a breakthrough for printmakers moving away from where only a select group of carvers, printers and publishers created woodblock prints.

Stephen Hazel (1934-20120 - was a painter and printmaker based in the Pacific Northwest. He created works on paper, and educated upon the subject. More info can be found, here.

Beautiful Display 10: Beauties of Chinatown (1977)