Gitche Gummee Series

Here is my "Gitche Gumee" series. There are currently three different prints using the same black key plate. The Ojibwe call the lake Gichigami, meaning "big water." Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote the name as "Gitche Gumee" in The Song of Hiawatha.


I have been thinking of local landscapes that draw connection to the Great Lakes region and some folklore directly related, like Gitche Gumee:

Bluejay Feather in our Forest

This feather, roughly 4 feet in height, fell to our wooded yard and can be seen from our nearby road along the lake. Maybe you will spot it?

International Print Exchange 2011

I've donated a print, "End of February" to the currently International Print Exchange 2011 show. You can buy my print or other's art to help raise money for future exchanges or you can visit my Etsy Shop to buy it directly from me.

"The International Print Exchange is an unjuried print exchange with no assigned theme, open to all, that celebrates fine art printmaking. This year they received a total of 88 print editions from 10 countries."

Check out their Flickr Gallery too.

Interview with the "Artists in West Michigan" blog

Diane and Julie of the "Artist of West Michigan" blog have recently interviewed me.

Being interviewed is an interesting introspective process - to really ponder who I am as an artist, the work I do, and the reasons for doing it and what I'd recommend to other artists. It's a fun process and a nice way to revisit my purpose and passion when it comes to art.

Here's a snippet:

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given?
When there is nothing else you can do about your present situation, or when you are waiting for something to occur, this is the best time to be working on something you like to work on.

One of the hardest things for artists to do is to stand apart from everyone else. How long did it take you to come up with your own style and signature look?
I’m still working on it. I believe that how we make things is influenced by our perspective of the world we live in. Life continuously changes, at times when we don’t even want it to. When I think of a “personal style”, I’m not too sure of what to say. We go through so many changes that it has to show up in the art we make.

What is your inspiration for your pieces? What keeps you motivated?
Most of the time I think I am doing what I am supposed to be doing. In terms of making art, for me, it is the action of making it. In printmaking, carving out the plates is most gratifying. During a drawing session, the act of placing the figure on paper, then allowing the development of composition to unfold has a sort of fascination. There are times when I find myself in the Muskegon Museum of Art, standing in front of the Curry painting, or looking for the Charles Burchfield trees. If time allows, I might look up some other printmakers on the internet.  There are all sorts of areas in the world where you will find art history to look at.

If you'd like to know more about my work, please read Diane and Julie's interview - it was great fun.