"Bernd and Hilla Becher
Woodcut
2020
Bernd and Hilla Becher is a four-layer woodcut print inspired by and based on the work and photographs of Bernd and Hilla Becher. These two artists collaborated together and are best known for their photographs of industrial architecture. The photographs of these structures are often organized in a grid along with similar structures that serve the same purpose.
"Drained"
Wet Cyanotype
2020
Drained is an abstract representation of feeling drained of energy and motivation that I've experienced multiple times since quarantine. For this piece, I poured a small amount of water on the paper coated with cyanotype solution before exposure. The total exposure time was 72 hours.
Quarantine has forced me to experiment and explore non-toxic printmaking methods that do not require heavy and expensive equipment, such as a printing press. The two mediums I've been experimenting with is multi-layer woodcuts and cyanotypes. Since quarantine, I have departed from a black and white, single-layer woodcut to creating woodcuts with multiple-layers and colors by carving different blocks and layers for one image. I've experimented with wet cyanotypes with long exposure times and introducing water to the exposure. I taught myself how to tone cyanotypes with tea and coffee to produce different colors. These two techniques allow creating imagery with resources and tools that I have at home. I use a wooden spoon to print my woodcuts and solar exposure to create cyanotypes. Both of these mediums are non-toxic and have allowed me to safely create at home.
