Frederic Church's Iceberg, Kristi Arnold, 2024, watercolor and oil monoprint, 15 x 22 in. / 38.1 x 55.88 cm.

Nature in Flux: Kristi Arnold’s Mokuhanga Work

Featured image: Frederic Church's Iceberg, Kristi Arnold, 2024, watercolor and oil monoprint, 15 x 22 in. / 38.1 x 55.88 cm.

Kristi Arnold’s prints engage with nature’s inherent beauty and imperfection, pushing the boundaries of our understanding of the natural world.

Kristi Arnold is an artist specializing in mokuhanga and mixed media prints, often exploring nature’s imperfections and the boundaries between natural and abstract forms. Her work challenges conventional views of landscapes, using vivid color and dynamic forms to provoke reflection.

Through her use of mokuhanga and watercolor, Arnold weaves abstract and surreal elements into her works, prompting viewers to reconsider their relationship with landscapes and nature itself. Her work carries distinct messages and artistic approaches, demonstrating her versatility and deep connection to the organic and the unknown.

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Frederic Church's Iceberg, Kristi Arnold, 2024, watercolor and oil monoprint, 15 x 22 in. / 38.1 x 55.88 cm.

Bolster, Kristi Arnold, 2018, mokuhanga, 11 x 8.5 in. / 27.94 x 21.59 cm.

Arnold’s Bolster (2018) showcases her mastery of mokuhanga (a Japanese woodblock printing technique), using bold colors and sinuous lines to depict a striking landscape. The fiery mountains in the background exude a volcanic energy, while the windswept tree stands resilient in the face of seemingly overwhelming forces. Arnold’s use of color gradients—from hot reds and oranges to the cooler blues and greens—creates a dynamic visual tension, mirroring the contrast between stability and chaos in nature. The deliberate flaw in nature, suggested by the unusual meeting of landscape and tree, underscores her conceptual focus on nature’s imperfection and constant flux.

It Is Nature. And Nature is Flawed, Kristi Arnold, 2024, watercolor and oil monoprint, 15 x 22 in. / 38.1 x 55.88 cm.

It Is Nature. And Nature is Flawed, Kristi Arnold, 2024, watercolor and oil monoprint, 15 x 22 in. / 38.1 x 55.88 cm.

With It Is Nature. And Nature is Flawed (2024), Arnold takes a more abstract approach. The watercolor and oil monoprint creates a dreamlike atmosphere, presenting bare trees in a snowy landscape with a curious and almost unnatural burst of floral elements. This piece highlights Arnold’s thematic exploration of nature’s “flaws”—those subtle imperfections that make the natural world so unique. The abstract patterns and translucent washes of color evoke both a serene and mysterious mood, encouraging viewers to look beyond the obvious and contemplate the complexities of natural forms. Here, Arnold invites us to embrace the beauty of the imperfect and the unpredictable.

Area 51, Kristi Arnold, 2019, mokuhanga, 11 x 8.5 in. / 27.94 x 21.59 cm.

Area 51, Kristi Arnold, 2019, mokuhanga, 11 x 8.5 in. / 27.94 x 21.59 cm.

Arnold’s Area 51 (2019) captures the essence of the unknown, blending vibrant, abstract forms to invoke the imagery of both natural phenomena and human intrigue. The explosion of colors in this mokuhanga print feels like a visual representation of a mysterious event, one where nature’s forces collide with humanity’s curiosity about the extraterrestrial. The soft gradient of colors in the print—from warm yellows and oranges to deep greens—creates an eerie yet inviting atmosphere. This piece speaks to the human fascination with nature’s mysteries and the unknown forces that shape our world. The ambiguity of the print’s subject matter leaves much to the viewer's interpretation, which adds to its lasting intrigue.

Kristi Arnold’s artwork is a testament to her deep engagement with the natural world’s complexities. Her works invite viewers to consider the beauty in imperfection, and how nature—though flawed—remains a force of inspiration. Through her unique techniques, Arnold has created pieces that challenge our perceptions and draw us closer to the intricate details of the world around us. Each of her prints—whether rooted in surreal landscapes or abstract forms—offers a window into the ways nature can be both familiar and otherworldly.

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Frederic Church's Iceberg, Fragment, Kristi Arnold, 2024, watercolor and oil monoprint, 15 x 22 in. / 38.1 x 55.88 cm.

Frederic Church's Iceberg, Fragment, Kristi Arnold, 2024, watercolor and oil monoprint, 15 x 22 in. / 38.1 x 55.88 cm.

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