There are varied processes under the definition of printmaking, I practice many, including: Mokulito, Engraving, Collagraph, Intaglio, Monotype, and my favorite, Relief printing, more specifically, the Woodcut. This fundamental art form is over 1000 years old, yet it remains fresh and vital to the contemporary art of today. The technique involves carving away areas of a wood plank, The remaining surface, the relief, is then inked and printed onto paper or cloth. I am drawn to the simplicity of this process, though not to be mistaken for ease. The challenge of creating an illusion with the gouges and cuts into the wood are the fuel that spark my love of relief printing. Far from simply tracing and carving out a shape, my work explores the gesture of each mark. The act of cutting becomes a dance, And the image is brought to life through this free form of carving.

Creating a woodcut begins with a minimal outline, often working directly onto the wood. It is through the carving and defining the pattern and texture that the image is exposed. It has taken a lifetime for the knives and gouges I use, to become extensions of the creative flow, like the brush to a painters hand; these tools, each owning their own mark, are what define the final vision of the wood cut. Whether I hand rub with a baron or use a press, Each print in an addition is an original hand pulled work of art.

The life and leisure of Lily Ponds is a color reduction wood block. This image is an homage to a suite companion who left us in 2020 as the pandemic begin lily pons was 21 years old and did live a life of leisure.
-Terri Thoman