Ethan Pulvermacher

Mokuhanga artist Benjamin Selby made a guest appearance at UW-Platteville, giving a presentation in Doudna Hall about his life experiences and artistic journey.
Selby got his bachelor’s degree in Printmaking from West Texas A&M University, the state in which he grew up, and proceeded to get his masters in Arizona. As an undergraduate in 2018, Selby made a three-month trip to Japan, where he was inspired to learn the style of printmaking known as Mokuhanga, a type of woodblock printmaking.
Selby uses a method fairly unique to himself when making Mokuhanga, as he creates the woodblock prints using laser engraving rather than the more traditional method of using gouges to carve them, a technique inspired during a moment of artist block by a wooden cabinet he designed using a laser engraver.
His current series, entitled “Turbulent Waters,” is a collection of 12 works which represent facing one’s trauma and working through the lowest points in life. More specifically, they represent Selby’s experience in reconnecting with his father after being separated for 10 years and the internal struggle that came with it.
Each piece lacks a signature from Selby, a unique choice which was made to illustrate how these pieces represent not just his experiences, but the universal experience of hardship and struggle. At the center of the physical exhibition lies a wooden boat, which is meant to represent the tools we use to make it through life. The crates in the boat represent the burdens one carries through life, leaving no room in the boat for themselves.
When asked about his experience with artist block and how he’d recommend other artists to get out of this state, he stated the following: “A lot of my inspiration comes from … what is keeping me from falling asleep? One thing that helps is writing it out … really examine what is important in your life.” He continued to describe one of the first assignments he usually gives to his students, which is having them examine the objects that surround them, and what significance, if any, they have, and create a visual vocabulary with them in order to draw inspiration.
Selby’s works and artist statement can be viewed on his website, benjaminselby.com, which also contains materials he used for learning Mokuhanga for those interested in the artform.