I spend a great deal of time drawing as I find it the inspiration I need to facilitate carving, which in my work, is also an act of drawing.

Carving is a meditative state; a very fertile ground for intuitive choices. I never know until I am in the act of carving what I will take away. Carving is the stage in which a print either comes alive or dies, so remaining active and intuitive is very important.

Once the carving is done, the printing of color begins. This is a wonderful time as color is so very rich in meaning and beauty. The printer’s ink I use is oil-based and can be manipulated in translucencies and in boldness giving me a great deal of room for creating atmosphere and space. The ink is rolled onto the surface until I achieve a smooth consistency for transferring onto the paper.

As my work is very large, I roll up the paper so that I can roll it out onto the inked block. I then press the back of the paper so the ink will transfer, and when this is done, I pull the paper back up off the block to view the resulting image. Each color must be carved and printed separately and pressed onto the paper until the composition is complete.

You will notice a Japanese aesthetic in my work due to the brush strokes carved into the wood referred to as the “sabistuke” manner, as well as Ukiyo-e carved lines, and the use of multiple woodblocks to develop the colors in the compositions; a heritage of my early artistic training with Japanese master artists in traditional Sumi-e painting and Hanga woodcut prints.  ~Georganne Watters