Why Printmaking?

For me, printmaking is the perfect intersection of right and left brain thinking.  A printmaker definitely needs to be methodical and detail oriented, but at the same time, there is so much room for creativity in printmaking.

Also, I am a woodblock printmaker, and I fell in love with the traditional Japanese materials and tools used in mokuhanga printmaking.  I enjoy the entire process, from carving and color mixing to the final editioning.

What music/books/artists are inspiring you lately?

Before I start working in the studio each morning, I read a poem from Mary Oliver's poetry anthology Devotions. Reading poetry seems to slow down my brain and helps me to focus on the creative task at hand, instead of thinking of a million other things.I like to listen to a variety of world music while I'm working in the studio.  One of my current favorites is Anouar Brahem's album "Le pas du chat noir".

What is some of the best advice you were given as an artist?

The best advice was actually a question:  If I am trying to be like this or that artist, who is going to be me?

If you could travel either back or forward in time for a day, what time would you visit and what would you do?

This was a tough one.  I had two thoughts and I can't seem to choose between them:

I believe Jesus walked the earth, and I would love to go back to meet him and hear him teach on the Beatitudes.
 

The printmaker in me also thought about traveling back to the 1920s and 1930s in Santa Fe.  From what I've read, it seems there was a very supportive artist community during that time period.  Printmakers and painters such as Gustave Baumann, Will Shuster, Willard Clark, and Olive Rush were friends.  So many artists, men and women, were migrating west to Santa Fe and Taos, falling in love with the light and the landscape.  It would have been a vibrant time to live here.