Hand carved block prints
I’ve been interested in block printing ever since seeing the works of William S. Rice, Hiroshi Yoshida, Tom Killion, as well as many others. The history of hand carved block printing and the Western United States fascinates me, and I hope to contribute to it in some way. I usually work in a reductive printing method, using hand made inks, and printing on a Vandercook printing press.
the ocean breathes
I was lucky, I grew up next to the Ocean. Something to always look to when the world seemed pointless and human problems were too big. The Ocean was always starting at us. The brink of another world. The start of another atmosphere, deadly if careless, joyful if respected. A place that could not be tamed by laws. Not thoroughly pillaged and colonized by even the most endeavoring. Always wild. Another organism altogether. Breathing in, and out, at it’s shores. Surfing breathes of the great expanse. The Ocean is always a reminder of something greater than ourselves, and I love it.
6-color Letterpress reductive block print
28 print Limited edition
11”x17”
its there, snowmass Lake
Reaching that lake after a day’s trek I sat down and relized that this is always here for us to enjoy, no matter what is happening in the world. No emails, phone calls, or even thoughts could take that moment away from me.
It will always be there, you just need to want it.
Method: 14-color Letterpress reductive block print
Material: 100% Cotton Heavy Paper
Size: 12” x 18”
Edition of 100
Backs to the east
A linocut limited edition of only 20 prints. James was inspired by trips to Joshua Tree and the Mohave Desert, particularly Kelso Dunes. Capturing the light receding from the view, this print has many layers of colors to create the desired effect.
PRINT DETAILS
· Method: Letterpress linocut
· Material: 100% Cotton Heavy Paper
· Size: 11” x 17”
· Signed and editioned by the artist
The Battlefield
Inspired by Frank Standford's 1977 poem the battlefield where the moon says I love you, James tries to capture the dream landscape Frank writes about. They both rely on the humanistic relationships of the contemporary American life strewn with the ageless notions of the land in which we all live, interact, and ultimately surrender to.
It will always be there, you just need to want it.
Method: Letterpress reductive block print
Material: 100% Cotton Heavy Paper
Size: 12” x 18”
Edition of 12
rise
LOOK UP
The sky is always there. I really take the sky for granted most of the time, until the air is thick with wildfire smoke or storm clouds roll in (one can dream in California). Getting out of the city though, and away from the sprawl the sky takes on a different character. When my cell phone doesn’t have reception and my distractions have bored me, the sky fills my eyes and paints the best pictures for me.
PRINT DETAILS
· Method: Letterpress linocut
· Material: 100% Cotton Heavy Paper
· Size: 11” x 17”
· Signed and editioned by the artist