I employ a reductive carving method for my woodcuts, using a single piece of wood for multiple phases of carving, inking and running through a printing press. This ancient practice, used by Picasso in his reduction linocuts, is sometimes referred to as a “suicide print” because there is no way to "go back" after a cut is made or undo a mistake. This challenges me to carve each indelible stroke with intention. The process is playful and spontaneous, as is the addition of color and texture in the work. At the end of the process, I am left with a hollowed out piece of wood and a small edition of 1 to 4 prints.
Because the wood block is destroyed in the process, each edition is one-of-a-kind and can never be made again.
Aiming to achieve a sense of balance and beauty in my artwork, I strive to create a world that viewers can inhabit- one that floats on the edge between abstract forms and folk-like mythology. Often, these worlds consist of repeated geometric and organic shapes and symbols borrowed from the natural world. Each piece is an attempt to harmonize these disparate elements into a cohesive, balanced whole.
HERE ARE SOME EXAMPLES OF MY WORK AT DIFFERENT STAGES OF THE PROCESS