And then I fell in love… her name? Vandercook. In January 2011, I was awarded a two-week letterpress residency at Penland School of Craft- my first experience at Penland outside of assisting classes. Quite contrary to the bustle and vigor of the summer months, winter at Penland is quiet and meditative. Using that time and 260 hrs in the shop to my advantage, I jumped into work. The romance of the letterpress was never hard to understand- the tactility of hand printed type on paper has its own intoxication, not to mention the history and beauty imbedded in each piece of type as an object. In letterpress, I found the perfect balance between printmaking and my mechanical side with the Vandercook 4 letterpress. Beginning with experiments printing on both sides of Japanese papers, I began combining woodcut portraits with woodblock type. As the prints progressed, the complexity did also until the work became complete pattern. The first prints went through the press three to four times and by the end, Pattern #2 had gone through the press 60 times to achieve the pattern.

During the second week of November 2010 I was invited to spend one week at Kendall College working on aluminum and stone plate lithography. These 10 prints were produced and editioned during that week for a total of 245 prints. A huge thanks to Mariel Versluis and Kendall College for presenting the opportunity. Prints are available per print or as a full portfolio.

These prints are from a show called "In All Of Us A Hero"- a two person show with artist Amy Bailey. We each made 40 monotype portraits. These prints, approx. 24"x18", are made in a reductive process where a plexiglas plate if fully inked and then ink is removed. To draw into the ink I used napkins, dry brushes, and anything in arms length.

These monoprints are approx. 36"x44", made in a reductive manner starting with a fully inked plexiglas plate and removing the ink with paper napkins, dry brushes, and whatever was at arms length.

These are selected woodblock prints from the past four years. Each is carved with tools out of wood, linoleum, or MDF.