Reduction Woodcut, a Work in Progress

I often wish that I had fallen in love with a process that yielded quicker results, something minimalistic and quick. But I did not. I am completely hooked on making reduction woodcuts. Though time consuming, this process allows me to print many colors from a single block. The process provides a perfect mix of serious planning, concentrated carving and repetitive printing. Despite all the planning, there is always just the right amount of drama and the unexpected.

 

 

This morning was relatively drama free. I printed color number three of 9. I was able to come up with the color I was hoping for right away.

 

 

 

Below you can see the print with the first two colors (two shades of yellow) next to the inked up block. After printing the darker yellow I carved away all of the areas I want to stay dark yellow. After printing this orangey brown color on all 24 sheets of paper I will carve away all the areas I wish to remain orangey brown. This process will be repeated six more times with six different colors.

 

 

You cans see the corner of my jig next to the block. There are three raised metal circles (pins) that correspond to holes that have been punched along the top of all 24 sheets of paper. I always place the paper on those "pins" and set the block in the same place underneath to ensure that the block prints in the same place with each color...every time. 

 

 

 

This is the best part...pulling the print off the block after running it through the press.

 

 

 

I am hoping to get the next color on there tomorrow.

Extrospection

I just had a show at Bear Gallery in Fairbanks. They did a beautiful job hanging my work. I shared the gallery with David-Rosenthal, a painter from Cordova. I included some images of several paintings and prints as well as my artist's statement below.

Gail E. Priday

Extropsection

Extrospection is the examination or observation of what is outside of oneself. In other words, ordinary sense perception. My work is inspired by what I observe on a daily basis. Rather than seeking out dramatic scenery and grand vistas, I am drawn to humble roadside trees, wild weedy plant-life, snow cover and the unique light of the Interior. I often focus on smaller elements of the landscape such as the bark of a tree, lichens, twigs and ground cover. The changes that occur seasonally are also of great interest. Our seasons are dramatic and they come and go with a force that is hard to miss. I feel an urgency to capture those changes. Melting snow, the new mud of spring, falling leaves, ripening berries, low winter light and long shadows in the snow are frequent subjects in both my paintings and prints.

Printmaking allows me to express my paintings in a new way. I often use a painting as a starting point for a print. After a painting has been worked for a number of weeks it becomes ingrained in my mind. I feel that I know the subject well and I am not quite ready to let it go. As you navigate the gallery you will find evidence of this re-use. In order to take an image from painting to print, I must simplify the composition and reduce the colors. Reduction woodcuts work well with this process. By making a reduction print I am able to obtain a number of colors from a single block. While there is much planning involved there is also an element of surprise. Printmaking is a beautiful mix of intense thought and meditative repetition.

I see the same landscape outside my windows every day. I walk past the same trees and hillsides, yet the view keeps changing. It is as if I am experiencing something new every time. My paintings and prints are an attempt to keep feeling that wonder and to connect with viewers who have noticed the same changes and experienced the same fascination.