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Making my first marks with a carving knife
into a piece of wood 18 years ago, I became instantly engaged in the art of
relief printmaking. The blend of physical, technical and creative challenges has
kept me immersed in this medium ever since.
My linocuts are originals printed
individually from my hand carved blocks and hand tinted. These are not
reproduction prints.
Most of my ideas begin as cryptic
doodles on pieces of scratch paper. It seems that some of the best brainstorms
come when I am "captive" - say - on a ferry boat or in a city council
meeting. My idea is developed and emerges as I carve it, in reverse, into a
linoleum block. I use sharp carving knifes and gouges to create the image. After
a process of proofing and recarving, I print my finished blocks using an etching
press. Ink is first rolled out to a juicy consistency on glass and rolled in
thin layers onto the surface of my carved block. I cover the block with clean
archival paper and crank it by hand through the press. The print is pulled from
the block and pinned to the wall to dry. The process is repeated for each print
in the edition.
Looking at works of the English
engraver William Blake, who hand tinted many of his etchings in the 18th
century, inspired my current technique of hand tinting my prints. The work is
quite labor intensive in edition, but it creates the look I want - the contrast
of strong opaque ink with transparent washes
I live in Ketchikan, which hangs on the
edge of an island in the rain forest of southeast Alaska. My workshop looks over
tree tops to an ocean passage. I watch boats and float planes go by in the pass
as I spin the wheel of the press.
Driven by questions and discoveries
from observations in my natural surroundings, the stylized whimsy of my imagery
belies the research that I put into my work, answering the question, asking new
ones.
When my art inspires just a bit of wonder for simple things in life, I feel like
I am accomplishing my job.
In addition to linocut, I also work in
monotype, collagraph and use printmaking methods to create mixed-media works.
Building large vessels, and other dimensional objects in papier mache, writing
and mixed media book forms are other interests.
My work in children’s picture books
for the past decade has partially realized my desire to take my printwork off
the wall. I love working for the book format which measures the reveal of
imagery as pages are turned. I also find satisfaction in working in series which
book work requires.
The relief print, however, remains my
passion. The time I spend working in multiples (the repetition of printmaking)
is a rolling meditation in motion. Ten years ago I would have regarded my
methods as impractical. But with a nod to the printmaking ancestors - who used
printmaking to hasten their efforts in producing the image of Buddha over and
over as a means of achieving nirvana, I find myself positively immersed in
multiple images. And regardless if enlightenment is at the end of the raven
lined road, I simply strive to share my love of the natural world with others. |
LLC