The Seasons

Description

This unique black and white print, called The Seasons, was printed on a wood substrate using stable, light fast inks, so it is durable and made to last. The printed image was created  from an original sketch of a branch as it changes during the four seasons.

The drawing style of The Seasons was influenced by techniques used in a time before mass produced printing, when artists carved images on wood, rolled ink on top and pressed the image onto paper. They became astonishingly skilled at depicting the world using cross-hatched lines to convey light, shade, form and texture. Later printmakers used this technique to create line drawings of incredible detail etched into metal plates. Many artists keep this time-honoured and highly-skilled tradition alive and I have studied both the early and more modern practitioners to develop my own style.

For many years in the 1980’s and 1990’s I worked as an illustrator for editorial, advertising and book publishing using this style of drawing. I sometimes carved my drawings into linoleum to make lino-cut prints, but due to the short time-lines in publishing, I usually used scratchboard to create cross-hatched black & white drawings that translated well into print media. Since moving  to a semi-rural area on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, where deer graze in my front yard, I have responded to Island Time by creating more detailed, labour-intensive work like The Seasons that might take all afternoon for an almost unnoticeable addition. 

The Seasons is framed without glass or matting so it is easy and inexpensive to ship. Each one of these prints is unique and I like their hand-made but sophisticated look. For more on the inspiration behind this print & others in the series, please visit my January 2024 blog.

The Seasons is shipped with an artist-made, sturdy, stained black wood frame and is ready to hang.