Artist Statement
I am largely self-taught with little formal training as an artist and printmaker. I became interested in printmaking from watching my parents make linoleum cut Christmas when I was a child. My artwork consists of block prints that I make by carving on the end-grain of a block of hardwood or a hard polymer resin. This is wood engraving as opposed to woodcut or linoleum cut print making. The contrast of strong blacks and whites combined with delicacy of line in wood engraving gives it an infinite range of color and texture that I find fascinating and rewarding. I print from my blocks using an old, hand cranked printing press. It is an intricate process involving many fine adjustments to the pressure in different areas of the block. I increase pressure to strengthen areas of solid black and lighten the pressure in areas of fine-cut detail.
I began making my own linoleum cut Christmas cards in 1996 and I made my first wood engraving in 2005. In 2009 I sought out Carl Montford, a master wood engraver and printer in Seattle from whom I was able to get a few good lessons which I still draw upon today. Through Carl’s influence I also bought my printing presses and taught myself to print on them.
My mission is to create art that is joyful in spirit, universal in nature, and that is accessible and affordable to others. Inspirations include the birds, animals, and mountains of my native Pacific Northwest. I am fascinated by subjects which give me the opportunity to explore the textures and patterns which can be made with the various engraving tools.
