Provincetown Printmakers at Boston Museum of Fine Arts
4/20/2023
I'm proud to have been asked to contribute a few words as wall text, to add a bit of contemporary context to accompany the current exhibit of woodcuts by the Provincetown Printmakers, at the Clementine Brown Gallery (Gallery 170) at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. A facsimile image of one of my prints, Essential No.1, accompanies the text. My statement is as follows:
“I first became acquainted with white line woodcuts as a university printmaking student, while waitressing in Provincetown during the summers of 1979-1980. I was intrigued by their luminous colors, simplified yet sophisticated designs, and low-tech approach. There were no classes in the medium at that time, so I taught myself to print by trial and error, reading everything I could find about the early Provincetown printers. My understanding was advanced when I attended the MFA's 2002 exhibit "Blanche Lazzell's and the Color Woodcut," and I had the opportunity to examine her work more closely.
A visual artist’s voice can be found in their imagery, and much can be conveyed without the need for the spoken word. We may be delighted by design, shape and color while gleaning important cultural and social clues in the choice of subject matter. The prints displayed on the wall at left represent a conversation among the artists, a conversation that continues with us, in the 21st century.“
The exhibit continues from April 1 through October 15, 2023.
4/20/2023
I'm proud to have been asked to contribute a few words as wall text, to add a bit of contemporary context to accompany the current exhibit of woodcuts by the Provincetown Printmakers, at the Clementine Brown Gallery (Gallery 170) at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. A facsimile image of one of my prints, Essential No.1, accompanies the text. My statement is as follows:
“I first became acquainted with white line woodcuts as a university printmaking student, while waitressing in Provincetown during the summers of 1979-1980. I was intrigued by their luminous colors, simplified yet sophisticated designs, and low-tech approach. There were no classes in the medium at that time, so I taught myself to print by trial and error, reading everything I could find about the early Provincetown printers. My understanding was advanced when I attended the MFA's 2002 exhibit "Blanche Lazzell's and the Color Woodcut," and I had the opportunity to examine her work more closely.
A visual artist’s voice can be found in their imagery, and much can be conveyed without the need for the spoken word. We may be delighted by design, shape and color while gleaning important cultural and social clues in the choice of subject matter. The prints displayed on the wall at left represent a conversation among the artists, a conversation that continues with us, in the 21st century.“
The exhibit continues from April 1 through October 15, 2023.
Two-day Destination Workshop in Loudon, NH
2/9/2023
Announcing a two-day workshop in white line woodcut at a working farm, Sanborn Mills Farm, July 15-16, 2023, in Loudon, NH. Sanborn Mills is a 300-year-old farm, and is so called because a stream runs through the farm and powers a working grist mill and a sawmill. The farm offers courses in farm skills such as oxen driving and management, natural dyeing, basketweaving, fiber arts, weaving, blacksmithing, woodworking and many more. This summer, the program is expanding to include white line woodcut, which is both a craft and an art. The farm offers dormitory housing, and they have an in-house chef for farm-to-table meals. I'm really excited about this, and If you've ever been curious about white line printmaking, I hope you'll consider joining me at Sanborn Mills Farm in July! www.sanbornmills.org
2/9/2023
Announcing a two-day workshop in white line woodcut at a working farm, Sanborn Mills Farm, July 15-16, 2023, in Loudon, NH. Sanborn Mills is a 300-year-old farm, and is so called because a stream runs through the farm and powers a working grist mill and a sawmill. The farm offers courses in farm skills such as oxen driving and management, natural dyeing, basketweaving, fiber arts, weaving, blacksmithing, woodworking and many more. This summer, the program is expanding to include white line woodcut, which is both a craft and an art. The farm offers dormitory housing, and they have an in-house chef for farm-to-table meals. I'm really excited about this, and If you've ever been curious about white line printmaking, I hope you'll consider joining me at Sanborn Mills Farm in July! www.sanbornmills.org
Essential No.1 accepted to the Library of Congress
10/6/2022
Exciting news! My white line woodcut Essentail No.1 has been accepted into the permanent collection of the Library of Congress in Washington, DC. The Library is our nation's oldest federal cultural institution, and I'm honored to have my print become a part of the collection. This came about after I visited their website as I was researching my woodcut hero, Blanche Lazzell. Blanche's woodcuts My Wharf Studio and June Roses are in the Library's collection, and I noticed that they were contributed by the artist. Further research revealed that the Library is sorely lacking in examples of this uniquely American form of printmaking, which was developed in Provincetown, Massachusetts in the early 1900s. So, I offered an example of my own work in the medium, and the Library's curator of prints, Katherine Blood, made the selection.
Essential No.1 was created on May 1, 2020, as a part of the international Print Day in May event. For this initiative, people around the world were invited to create a print, whether in a professional studio or simply at a kitchen table, with a potato print. I decided to create a white line woodcut, and had only to look out my living room window for inspiration. I enjoy drawing people at work, and the local Comcast guy was right there, up on a ladder, fixing a connectivity problem. This was during the early part of the pandemic lockdown period, and I was aware of the poignancy of this most essential worker, helping to keep us all connected. Where would we be without our internet connections?!
10/6/2022
Exciting news! My white line woodcut Essentail No.1 has been accepted into the permanent collection of the Library of Congress in Washington, DC. The Library is our nation's oldest federal cultural institution, and I'm honored to have my print become a part of the collection. This came about after I visited their website as I was researching my woodcut hero, Blanche Lazzell. Blanche's woodcuts My Wharf Studio and June Roses are in the Library's collection, and I noticed that they were contributed by the artist. Further research revealed that the Library is sorely lacking in examples of this uniquely American form of printmaking, which was developed in Provincetown, Massachusetts in the early 1900s. So, I offered an example of my own work in the medium, and the Library's curator of prints, Katherine Blood, made the selection.
Essential No.1 was created on May 1, 2020, as a part of the international Print Day in May event. For this initiative, people around the world were invited to create a print, whether in a professional studio or simply at a kitchen table, with a potato print. I decided to create a white line woodcut, and had only to look out my living room window for inspiration. I enjoy drawing people at work, and the local Comcast guy was right there, up on a ladder, fixing a connectivity problem. This was during the early part of the pandemic lockdown period, and I was aware of the poignancy of this most essential worker, helping to keep us all connected. Where would we be without our internet connections?!
Upcoming Group Print Show at the Brush Gallery, Lowell, MA
2/7/2022
A new collaborative has formed, of which I'm a member. Our first group show will be in Lowell, MA at the Brush Gallery. There will be an in-person opening, date/time TBD.
2/7/2022
A new collaborative has formed, of which I'm a member. Our first group show will be in Lowell, MA at the Brush Gallery. There will be an in-person opening, date/time TBD.