Agave Mountain

This work was inspired by a photograph I took along Ghana's Cape Coast though there is something generic about a coastal scene. Although the jagged rocks and frothy waves look tumultuous, the sea farther out is calm and peaceful. As opposed to a photograph that can present very subtle gradations of value from light to dark, a linoleum print relies on fewer tones and bold shapes to create a scene. Here, a dark line representing the horizon separates the sea from the sky. The sea-foam and the sky share a shade of white but are differentiated by their shapes.

This is the second work I made. It is meant to convey the spirit of the environment, an arid landscape that is stark yet peaceful. While the cactus is the main focus, the background is what grounds it and gives it a tranquil feeling. The scene was at sunset, with a dark sky and light on the horizon. The horizontal lines add texture to the background. I noticed these kinds of wavy patterns in other prints, for example Hokusai’s woodcuts of Mount Fuji.

This is the first print I made. It was inspired by a photograph I took in Cape Town, South Africa. Pinus Pinea trees are resilient, drought resistant, wind tolerant trees with iconic umbrella shapes. I took the photograph at sunset and the linoleum print captures the crisp contrast of the black trees back-lit by the white sky. The trees stand like figures. The dappled effect of the small flecks in the black ink are a happy accident that softens the work and helps enhance its feeling of nostalgia.

This is one of two snow scenes. I incorporated Japanese printmaking techniques in this work including color blending and a high-angle perspective. In order to make the mountain darker than the sky, I varied the values by using color blending, putting darker and lighter inks on the same roller. Shades of gray (cool tones) enhance the cold, crisp feeling of the snowy mountain. This work was made using a single print with a light impression that captures a mottled effect to convey how the trees remain visible under a dusting of snow. This scene was inspired by a photograph I took from a gondola. The bird's-eye view offers an expansive perspective of this landscape, creating a feeling of serenity.

This print was inspired by a photograph taken at Watson Lake in Colorado on a cold, sunny and cloudy afternoon in March. This work once again used the Cubist strategy of simplifying shapes. I used stylized forms for the sky and foreground. I wanted to focus on how a variation in value and dramatic shapes can illustrate a scene. The work is composed of three reduction prints. The values I used were white, light gray, dark gray and black. In the print, the lake itself has no significance; the entire focus of the work is on the elaborate clouds. The work is meant to exaggerate the dramatic feeling of clouds gathering above while you are grounded beneath them.

This work is similar to the others in its focus on elements of nature but at the same time I wanted to make it more dramatic by incorporating repetition of a pattern that uses organic shapes. Lilies are delicate flowers so I added a bolder element by using one darker value and lightly curved lines of varying thickness. I also added light gray to soften it and gave it more dimension. My printing technique was to make one linoleum block of a lily and print it four times, rotating the flower so that diagonal images were the same. I liked the idea of creating a “bouquet” with the four images. Andy Warhol made many silk screen print series, including his 1960s and 70s flowers. I was also inspired by the process of making batik prints on fabric.

I photographed this glossy effervescent flower under dappled light. I wanted to simplify the image while keeping the most stunning elements so I emphasized the three-quarters view of the close-up flower. For the print, I carved the shiny waxy petals as well as the dappled lighting while keeping the shadowed background. Artworks depicting flowers typically rely on color to convey mood, however in this black-and-white image, the velvety black background is stippled with flecks of light like twinkling stars.

This is the only work that used mostly lighter colors. The photograph that inspired it was taken at Horsetooth Reservoir in Colorado on a foggy, snowy day. I wanted to emphasize the contrast between the bright snow and the dark water, each formed by a right triangle, at mirror images to each other. I used two techniques: reduction printing and color blending. This print is similar to a monotype in the way that I chose the colors that blended together for an ombré effect. But it still has contrast because of how the plants stand out against the white. Monet’s breathtaking variety of snow scenes make me think about creating more white works, and another inspiration was the simple collages in Ezra Jack Keats’ The Snowy Day, a favorite childhood book. I wanted my image to inspire that same feeling of tranquility.