Large Scale Monoprints
My current work is midcentury Pop with a touch of refined folk art. Often, I think about women as portrayed in advertising: have we really "come a long way, baby?" Using a stylized vintage viewpoint, I depict iconic women in everyday settings. Wonder Woman washing clothes, Rosie the Riveter finishing the ironing: a difference in action doesn't change their worth, it enhances it. Bring home the bacon, fry it up in the pan.
I start with a photo reference and create a drawing and then transfer the drawing onto linoleum. I carve this reverse image with sharp hand tools (chisels and gouges) paying special attention to positive and negative space. After hours, days and weeks of carving, I hand pull my first proof with a floor press I made from a lawn roller. I ink my linoleum plate with a brayer (hard rubber roller), lay the plate face down onto the wood, roll the press back and forth several times, then slowly peel the lino off the wood. After proofing the plate on paper and then making necessary adjustments to the line work (carving again and again until it "looks right") I print the artwork directly onto raw, unfinished wood that will be backed with wooden stretcher bars so that it creates a wooden paneled canvas. I use oil based ink for the print, let it dry for 7-10 days, then I hand paint the colors in acrylics & alyklds.
I love the tactile nature (and smell!) of linoleum and the way the tools cut, slice and glide through the surface. The movement of sharp chisels feeds my need for craft. Hand pulling the print from the plate and seeing the result is like opening a wrapped gift- every time. All of my linocuts on wood are monoprints. I use the same plate (linoleum) but I am always changing the inking, painting, and background. Each piece is hand carved, inked and painted with several layers. All are original, signed works of art.
And lastly, a personal bit about me: I have been making and selling artwork through art fairs and galleries since I was 15 years old. For the last 25 years, I have been fortunate to do what I love and be paid for it. I have created and sold jewelry, fused glass and Metal Quilts & mirrors. But art, like life, must evolve. With the addition of two wonderful daughters to our family as well as the increasing cost of copper and glass, not to mention the long term toxicity of breathing glass dust, the time to change is here. I chose an art form that still lets me use my muscles and be a safe, less toxic way to make a living. Plus, now my girls can hang out in my studio. I've always loved wood block prints so printmaking made perfect sense: I often think- "where have you been my whole life?!" And I am lucky to have found that printmaking suits me. Thank you for supporting independent artists as we grow and change!
My current work is midcentury Pop with a touch of refined folk art. Often, I think about women as portrayed in advertising: have we really "come a long way, baby?" Using a stylized vintage viewpoint, I depict iconic women in everyday settings. Wonder Woman washing clothes, Rosie the Riveter finishing the ironing: a difference in action doesn't change their worth, it enhances it. Bring home the bacon, fry it up in the pan.
I start with a photo reference and create a drawing and then transfer the drawing onto linoleum. I carve this reverse image with sharp hand tools (chisels and gouges) paying special attention to positive and negative space. After hours, days and weeks of carving, I hand pull my first proof with a floor press I made from a lawn roller. I ink my linoleum plate with a brayer (hard rubber roller), lay the plate face down onto the wood, roll the press back and forth several times, then slowly peel the lino off the wood. After proofing the plate on paper and then making necessary adjustments to the line work (carving again and again until it "looks right") I print the artwork directly onto raw, unfinished wood that will be backed with wooden stretcher bars so that it creates a wooden paneled canvas. I use oil based ink for the print, let it dry for 7-10 days, then I hand paint the colors in acrylics & alyklds.
I love the tactile nature (and smell!) of linoleum and the way the tools cut, slice and glide through the surface. The movement of sharp chisels feeds my need for craft. Hand pulling the print from the plate and seeing the result is like opening a wrapped gift- every time. All of my linocuts on wood are monoprints. I use the same plate (linoleum) but I am always changing the inking, painting, and background. Each piece is hand carved, inked and painted with several layers. All are original, signed works of art.
And lastly, a personal bit about me: I have been making and selling artwork through art fairs and galleries since I was 15 years old. For the last 25 years, I have been fortunate to do what I love and be paid for it. I have created and sold jewelry, fused glass and Metal Quilts & mirrors. But art, like life, must evolve. With the addition of two wonderful daughters to our family as well as the increasing cost of copper and glass, not to mention the long term toxicity of breathing glass dust, the time to change is here. I chose an art form that still lets me use my muscles and be a safe, less toxic way to make a living. Plus, now my girls can hang out in my studio. I've always loved wood block prints so printmaking made perfect sense: I often think- "where have you been my whole life?!" And I am lucky to have found that printmaking suits me. Thank you for supporting independent artists as we grow and change!