American Woodcut and Woodblock Printmaking (original) (raw)

American Woodcut and Woodblock Printmaking

Online information from sources other than Resource Library

(above: Gustave Baumann, Green Gate Orchard, 1923, wood block print, private collection. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons*)

Woodcut

"Woodcut is a relief printing technique in printmaking. An artist carves an image into the surface of a block of wood-typically with gouges-leaving the printing parts level with the surface while removing the non-printing parts. Areas that the artist cuts away carry no ink, while characters or images at surface level carry the ink to produce the print. The block is cut along the wood grain (unlike wood engraving, where the block is cut in the end-grain). The surface is covered with ink by rolling over the surface with an ink-covered roller (brayer), leaving ink upon the flat surface but not in the non-printing areas." - Wikipedia. Woodblock abd woodcut names are sometimes used interchangably.

American Haiku: The Woodcuts of Ted Faiers is a 2019 exhibit at the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art which says: "As in his paintings, his figural woodcuts present powerful observations of the human condition, provide commentary on American social issues, and examine local culture." Accessed 4/19

Bascove: The Time We Spend with Words is a 2022 exhibit at the Norman Rockwell Museum which says: "Known by the mononym, Bascove, Anne Bascove is a master printmaker, illustrator, painter, and collagist best known for her striking woodcut book jacket and magazine illustrations as well as for her series of paintings and drawings of the bridges of New York City. Inspired by the written word throughout her life, she has been a preeminent designer of book jackets that have engaged readers with the writings of many noted authors, including Alice Walker, Robertson Davies, Jerome Charyn, T.C. Boyle, and J.M. Coetzee. " Accessed 6/22

Birds & Poppies: Large-Scale Woodcuts by Richard Ryan is a 2018 exhibit at the Lora Robins Gallery of Design from Nature, University of Richmond Museums https://museums.richmond.edu which says: "The University of Richmond Museums presents Birds & Poppies: Large-Scale Woodcuts by Richard Ryan on view January 16 through July 2, 2018, in the Harnett Museum of Art. Richard Ryan (American, born England, 1950) is a contemporary artist based in Massachusetts. The works in this exhibition demonstrate Ryan's approach to the large-scale woodcut. Each print is the result of his exploration of images as simple as a vase with nine poppies and elegant birds seen in profile." Accessed 7/18

California's Wild Edge: The Coast in Prints, Poetry, and History is a 2016 exhibit at the Reese Bullen Gallery - Humboldt State University which says: "The exhibition features artist Tom Killion's Japanese-style woodcut prints, which vividly portray the coast's ever-changing moods and diverse formations. From Southern California to Humboldt County, Killion's work colorfully captures the meeting of land and sea." Also see 10/12 featurefrom In The Make Accessed 9/17

Color Woodblock Prints from the Helen and Napi Van Dereck Collection is a 2019 exhibit at the Provincetown Art Association and Museum which says: "Of special significance in the history of woodblock printmaking is the white-line woodblock print, also know as the Provincetown Print, which was developed by a small group of artists working in Provincetown during the quiet winter months of 1915-1916." Accessed 5/19

_The Figure in Woodcuts - Jerry B. Walters_was a 2016 exhibit at the Ashby-Hodge Gallery of American Art, which says: "His specialty is woodcuts. 'I am truly excited by the relief process of woodcuts,' he said. 'I think this is because the process seems to be one that combines the disciplines of drawing, sculpture, and printmaking.'" Accessed 12/16

Gustave Baumann in California is a 2017 exhibit at the Pasadena Museum of California Art which says: "Gustave Baumann (1881-1971) was a pioneer in the development of the color woodcut in the United States. Although he is best known for his bucolic scenes of the Midwest and his majestic imagery of the American Southwest, he made twelve powerful color woodcuts depicting the natural beauty of the Golden State." Also see the press release. Accessed 4/17

James Todd: Looney Toones is a 2017 exhibit at the Montana Museum of Art and Culture which says: " In this exhibition and the accompanying catalog, Todd has reinterpreted his childhood drawings through woodcut printing, the medium for which he is perhaps best known today." - To read more after exhibit closes, go to "Past Exhibitions" section of museum website. Also see 6/15/17 article in Missoula Independent. Accessed 8/17

John Buck: Prints and Sculpture from the Collection of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation is a 2020 exhibit at the Hallie Ford Museum of Art, Willamette University which says: "John Buck (American, born 1946) is a nationally recognized Montana artist who has created a large and powerful body of woodblock prints and wood sculptures over the past four decades." Also see website of artist. Accessed 10/20

Joseph Lappie: Personal Mythologies is a 2018 exhibit at the Figge Art Museum which says:"Beginning about 10 years ago, Lappie began to shift traditional notions of printmaking, wherein the print is considered the artistic product, by creating installations of the carved wood blocks used to create prints. This exhibition includes three substantial bodies of work in this mode. By including a variety of Lappie's work, the exhibition will highlight his range as a printmaker and as an artist." Also see artist's website Accessed 3/18

LaToya M. Hobbs: Sitting Pretty is a 2019 exhibit at the Rosenberg Gallery, Goucher College which says: "Sitting Pretty exhibits 15 large-scale woodcut and mixed media monotype portraits by LaToya M. Hobbs that confront European expectations of beauty and hairstyle with boldness, rebellion, self-conÞdence, and a spiritual consciousness. Her work serves as a platform to deconstruct disparaging imagery of the black female body, and resurrects a visual commentary grounded in the expansive experience of black aesthetic expressions." Also see artist's website Accessed 11/19

Mark Strong: Prosaic Exceptionalism is a 2018 exhibit at the Harwood Museum, University of New Mexico which says: "The Harwood Museum of art is pleased to announce the exhibition of prints by local printmaker Mark Strong. This three week Studio 238 Pop-Up exhibition reveals the colorful and contemporary imagery of the detritus of our surroundings. From beer cans to matchbooks, the banal becomes celebrated in the delicate process of Strong's hand carved prints." Accessed 8/18

White-Line Color Woodcuts is a 2017 exhibit at the Allentown Art Museum which says: "The white-line color woodcut was an early twentieth-century innovation that allowed artists to print multiple colors from a single carved woodblock. Originating with the Provincetown Printers in Massachusetts, the technique offered simplicity of execution as well as a painterly result. Featuring beautiful examples of white-line woodcuts ranging in subject, style, and complexity, this installation, along with a display of Arts and Crafts decorative arts, complements the harmonious ideals of Frank Lloyd Wright's Little Library, on permanent view at the Museum." Also see "The making of a 'white-line' print" by Jeanne Norman Chase. Accessed 6/17

(above: Ada Gilmore Chaffee, On the Porch, c. 1916, color woodcut on paper, sheet: 9 1 4 x 10 3 8 inches, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Helen Baltz, 1979.28.1)

Return to American Art Prints and Printmaking - online information from sources other than Resource Library

Return to American art prints and printmaking

*Tag for expired US copyright of object image:

TFAO's Distinguished Artists catalogue provides online access to biographical information for artists associated with this state. Also, Search Resource Library for online articles and essays concerning both individual artists associated with this state's history and the history of art centers and museums in this state. Resource Library articles and essays devoted to individual artists and institutions are not listed on this page.

Links to sources of information outside of our web site are provided only as referrals for your further consideration. Please use due diligence in judging the quality of information contained in these and all other web sites. Information from linked sources may be inaccurate or out of date. TFAO neither recommends or endorses these referenced organizations. Although TFAO includes links to other web sites, it takes no responsibility for the content or information contained on those other sites, nor exerts any editorial or other control over them. For more information on evaluating web pages see TFAO's General Resources section in Online Resources for Collectors and Students of Art History.

Search Resource Library