I believe it was my 5th grade art teacher that first introduced me to linoleum block printing. After returning home from elementary school having made my first print, I remember asking my mom for supplies so that I could make linoleum block prints at home. My mom has always been artistically gifted so she always appeased my requests when it came to creating. I made a print at home, and then that was that. I don’t believe I have worked with these materials or made any prints since - until recently.

College came around I signed up for an Art History course called “The Japanese Woodblock Print.” I ended up taking several more East Asian art classes and minored in Art History with a major in Environmental Science.

Now it has been years since then… Each time block printing makes its way back into my life it remains in the peripherals. Except for this time. I believe I stumbled across an image of a print in my Instagram feed and just stopped and stared. I remember thinking to myself, “you’ve been looking for an art related hobby, why don’t you try giving block printing a go?” And so I did, and here we are.

My inspirations are drawn from everything within nature (thank you, Environmental Science major), and antiques. Specifically, I have a current fascination with antique wooden chairs. The history, knowing this object has been utilized for hundreds of years being passed down within a family or shared amongst many. The simplicity of the idea of a chair contrasted with the complex nature of building a piece of furniture by hand is something I want to continue to explore within my art.

These prints are not perfect, and they probably never will be. I believe that is the great part about handmade art - each item is unique. A little spot of unintentional ink helps to differentiate one print from another making each print their own.

I do hope you follow along this journey with me. I am finding that it is something I truly enjoy doing and love sharing with those that are interested.