I began by walking around the GreenHill with my camera. I walked, took pictures, sat and visually explored the area. It was a beautiful December afternoon. These are a few of the images I took and used when drawing and designing the prints.
Barred Owl
Crow
Each block took about 10-12 hours to carve. I took my time as each image had quite a bit of detail. The blocks measure 9”x12”.
This picture shows what the owl print looked like after being traced and transferred; before I went over the traced image with the Sharpee pen.
The Barred Owl block locked up and ready to print!
I titled the crow print The Seeker.
This was a rewarding project. I am grateful to the GreenHill Center for inviting me to participate in their 50th Anniversary and for all their contributions to the arts community over the years.
I completed a suite of prints for the Anniversary Portfolio Boxes for the GreenHill Center. These boxes will be presented at the Anniversary Gala in May of 2024. This year marks the 50th Anniversary of the GreenHill. I was excited to be a part of this celebration. The GreenHill has meant a great deal to me as an artist and educator.
Carolina Wrens - I just had to have two of these sprites in the print!
I knew from the start of this project that I wanted to use birds in the prints. I focused on birds that I have seen in my neighborhood (which is very close to the GreenHill). I chose the Barred Owl, Crow, and Carolina Wrens. I then began playing around with the use of space and imagery. This was loads of fun; particularly when I started using components of the Center in the background of the drawings. I wanted to bring the natural surroundings, birds, and architectural elements together in each drawing. Here are the three pencil drawings I used for the prints. I traced each drawing, transferred it to a block, and then drew over the transferred image with a Sharpee pen. This step helps with the carving process since it clearly defines the image.
I printed a mat using a blend of blue and teal for each print. This provided a richly colored ground for the prints, which I printed in black. It accentuated the foreground and background for the printed images. I used Stonehenge paper for the prints, which printed beautifully.
I titled this print The Watcher.
I titled the Carolina Wrens The Players. This print is my favorite. I am really pleased with the use of the space and the placement of the GreenHill. Though the berries took some time carving, they add a nice element to the surroundings of the wrens.