Landscape Investigation 11

For this piece I wanted to incorporate a new subject matter, trees, and a new perspective: looking upwards through the trees. I also wanted to explore a new medium: printmaking. With three new things to focus on, I felt as though a simple composition fit my skill level when it came to printmaking and linoleum carving. I wanted the detail to exist in three layers, the bark as the most complex part, the branches in between, and the sky and sun as the third 'layer' being the simplest of all.

While my ideas surrounding this piece may have not been the deepest, I experimented with a new artistic process when it came to materials. I traced a sketch onto tracing paper and then used a graphite transfer, as shown in the second image, to translate my sketch onto the linoleum block. While this isn't a new process to the art world by any means, I thought it was worth noting. I also used a lino carving tool and block printing ink to make this piece.

Process wise, there was little that changed from my original sketch. I wanted to capture the feeling of laying down and looking up at the trees, and to a certain extent I think I was successful. The next step for me artistically is to go bigger with this same design which I think would allow for more detail and a better print. It is hard to get small cuts to print well, so a larger block could go a long way in taking my printmaking to another level.