ARTIST'S
STATEMENT
Photography
My interest in documentary photography began in Northern Ireland, inspired
by my academic research into the sectarian politics of that country.
I have since expanded my interests to include a broader range of subjects,
from landscape to portraiture to more conceptual images. My camera
and ‘darkroom’ are digital, although the printing process is the same as
that of 35mm photography (silver halide on archival paper). My photographs
have appeared in publications as disparate as Human Rights Dialogue
(Carnegie Council on Ethics and International Affairs) and the Lawrence
Visitors Guide (Lawrence Convention and Visitors Bureau). (See
resume).
Printmaking
Occupying a different conceptual space are my relief prints, variously
composed from woodcuts, linocuts, and letterpress. My initial
appreciation of relief printing came from medieval woodcuts and early letterpress
printing as well as the relief etchings of William Blake. More recently,
I have been inspired by Hatch
Show Print and other
artists and collectives who combine text and image. I find myself
drawn to the intricate labor of these processes, whether carving woodcuts,
hand-pulling prints, or running text and images through the Lawrence
Art Center's Vandercook press. The process is as compelling to
me as the bold visual statements relief printing allows.
Black Cat Press
Black Cat Press is a practical offshoot of my artistic interests.
In 1998, I noticed with frustration the lack of images of Lawrence in the
greeting card market and so began to make and market my own greeting cards
to local independent shops. (Since that time, I’m pleased to report
that Lawrence’s greeting card market includes much more local representation,
both in terms of subjects and artists.) I have expanded my card subjects
to include smaller versions of most of my photographic prints as well as
letterpress and relief designs.
The images on the photo cards are produced with the same process as the larger photographic prints, signed, and attached to the cards with acid-free rubber cement and acid-free photo corners.