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Making the “Hummingbird & Bee Balm” Block Print

Scientists estimate 1 of every 3 bites of food we eat exists beacause of pollinators like bees, butterflies, moths and other insects, bats, and some birds. I was inspired to make this print because our pollinators – like hummingbirds – are in trouble, and... Read more →

Making the “Monarch and Milkweed” Block Print

This print is the first in a new series depicting pollinators and the native plants they desperately need in order to survive. You can help pollinators – and the future of our food supply – by planting a diverse array of native plants in your garden. My... Read more →

Making the “Summer Woods III” Block Print

“Summer Woods III” was inspired by a walk through the woods near my house. The afternoon sun was blasting through the trees, making the leaves glow – my favorite thing – and wrapping around the tree trunks. I took photos, and created a design... Read more →

Making the “Tomatoes” Block Print

The “Tomatoes” block print is the most essential part of my block print series. I designed “Tomatoes” by studying a few different photos of tomatoes on the vine and creating a drawing with seven colors. This would require carving seven blocks... Read more →

Making the “Lemons” Block Print

Only three pieces of linoleum are needed to create the seven carvings for this seven-color print. The first carving prints blue, everywhere but where the lemons will be. 2. I take that first carving, and carve away the shapes that should remain blue, and print green.... Read more →

Making the “Woodland Pond” Block Print.

“Woodland Pond” was inspired by a walk near our Vermont country house, where golden light filtered through trees and reflected in a small pond. Here’s the photo (with some blobs of color where I started painting on it in Photoshop). Since there will... Read more →

The Making of Morning Mist

It started with an early morning walk through a park. The fall colors were peaking, the sky was clear, the sun turned the tree tops gold and there was a thick layer of pale blue mist on the ground! It was such an extraordinary scene, I resolved to make a new block... Read more →

Making The Ferns Block Print

For this print, I wanted to create a more muted margin, to help the ferns really pop. So I first did a rectangular carving with a window in it, and printed beige. Next I learned a new skill: hand-setting antique metal type! It’s got to be done backwards, of... Read more →

Making Lake View II

This print was inspired by two things: fond memories of family vacations in the Adirondacks, and a lovely photograph taken by my friend Gaylon Arnold, of an Adirondack vacation. Oh, and my obsession with glittering lake water.  1: First I carve the shape for the... Read more →

Making the Autumn Woods block print

A couple of years ago, while staying at our country house in Vermont, I took a walk down our dirt road on a dazzling autumn day, and trespassed into a neighbor’s woods. I took this photo looking out into a clearing. The photo The oil painting, “Autumn... Read more →