Women's Work
I created Women’s Work in honor of Frances Myers, who was retiring from teaching at the University of Wisconsin-Madison at the time.
Frances was the intaglio professor at UW. Now there are lots of female printmaking teachers, but for students my age and above, they were few and far between. And they had PRESENCE to achieve renown as artists, as printmakers, and as teachers in a field usually ruled by men.
Professor Myers often celebrated women in her art and even did a series about Wonder Woman. To pay tribute to Frances and all the support she gave me during graduate school and to female artists in general whose artworks have often been neglected or belittled, I wanted to make an artwork using a subject and techniques typically associated with femininity.
Thus, I chose a flowery motif that I drew in a particularly lacy manner and then printed it on pink gingham using printmaking techniques often used to print patterns on cloth.
I see lacework as belonging to women. I also see it as one of the few fiber arts made by women with a connotation of great worth. While I really wanted to tat my own lace to use as a printing plate, my skill lies in carving wood. So, I made this intricate carving for Frances, as well as the other women who have taken the time to teach a creative kid how to make girly art.
I created Women’s Work in honor of Frances Myers, who was retiring from teaching at the University of Wisconsin-Madison at the time.
Frances was the intaglio professor at UW. Now there are lots of female printmaking teachers, but for students my age and above, they were few and far between. And they had PRESENCE to achieve renown as artists, as printmakers, and as teachers in a field usually ruled by men.
Professor Myers often celebrated women in her art and even did a series about Wonder Woman. To pay tribute to Frances and all the support she gave me during graduate school and to female artists in general whose artworks have often been neglected or belittled, I wanted to make an artwork using a subject and techniques typically associated with femininity.
Thus, I chose a flowery motif that I drew in a particularly lacy manner and then printed it on pink gingham using printmaking techniques often used to print patterns on cloth.
I see lacework as belonging to women. I also see it as one of the few fiber arts made by women with a connotation of great worth. While I really wanted to tat my own lace to use as a printing plate, my skill lies in carving wood. So, I made this intricate carving for Frances, as well as the other women who have taken the time to teach a creative kid how to make girly art.
Media: Wood relief and silkscreen print on gingham
Size: 15” h x 15″ w
Edition: 1/20-20/20
Series: Fancywork
Women’s Work is an original relief print, silkscreen, and painting on pink gingham in three colors made from one woodburned and carved cherry wood block and two silkscreens.
To learn more about relief or silkscreen printing, please visit my About Prints page.
