Landscapes | A Change of Seasons

In the winter I watch the light and shadow from afar, often looking out the window to note the changing day in paint.

window view, gouache on paper, 5x7”, private collection

april sunset, gouache on paper, 9x12,” purchase

In the summer, my body and paints move to the outdoors where I carefully study the same light and shadow. The warmth brings the birds, bees, and other people, all of whom become a part of my observations. 

Last summer, I often stood at the corner of 4th and Taylor in Nashville, scanning the world around me until my eyes found the spot that felt right. I painted rooftops, overlapping buildings, old smokestacks, and foliage whose growth I could track through dabs of watercolor and gouache paint.

old slaughterhouse, oil on canvas, 12x16,” purchase

orche house, gouache on paper, private collection

ochre home, blue sky, oil on canvas, 5x7,” purchase

I am in the north now and it is not quite summer. The light and shadow here is still a stranger to me and I don't know how the trees grow but things are beginning to claim their forms in tiny dabs of paint.

plum tree in february, gouache on paper, 4x4," purchase

gouache on paper, sketchbook entry

gouache on paper, sketchbook entry

Five Portraits of Mothers

1. Portrait of the Artist's Mother by Vincent van Gogh

oil on canvas, 16 x 12-3/4 in. October 1888

2. Interior, Mother and Sister of the Artist by Édouard Vuillard

oil on canvas, 18 1/4 x 22 1/4", 1893

3. Portrait of the Artist's Mother at the Age of 63 by Albrecht Dürer

charcoal on paper, 1514

4. A Portrait of the Artist's Mother by Mary Cassatt

color softground etching and aquatint, 9 15/16 × 7 1/16 in.

5. Patsy on the Rocks by Michelle Farro

oil on yupo paper, 5.5x7.25", 2014

Woodblock Printing with Multiple Blocks

The printmaking process allows for the production of multiple originals. A woodcut or woodblock print is an image printed from the carved surface of a block of wood.

The following prints all began as a sketch- I used the drawing to determine which block would hold the most information, and which blocks would provide additional colors. From there, the blocks were carved and inked, testing many ink and paper combinations along the way.

Much like a puzzle, the complementary blocks fit together to create the final image. This series of prints draws inspiration from my painting studies to explore endless color combinations.

This print consists of five colors distributed over three blocks. Divers Cover, Day, Night, & Sunset were created for Laguna Art Museum's centennial events in 2018. I was interested in how color can indicate a certain time in a landscape. I printed small editions of 12 for Day & Night.

The first block printed. I created an edition of 12 prints in this single color.

The second block printed. Cat Lady was inspired by a figure in a Felix Vallotton painting. Using these two blocks, I printed a small series of one-of-a-kind prints.

These prints are available for purchase here.