Monotype 27, monotype with graphite
I have lived in the Midwest my entire life and have always appreciated our open spaces- cornfields, prairies, the huge starry night sky. However until recently, I did not realize how important the Midwestern landscape is to my art practice and how I yearn for its expansiveness to find space and stillness within myself.
There is a pull among many artists toward the opportunity that open space creates. Bill Holm, the Minnesotan writer, best put my feelings toward quiet landscapes into words. He argued that the beauty of flat landscapes is in the “patience and effort” they beg of the viewer. The prairie is not glamorous, but utilitarian, and it’s stunning for that very reason.
Like the Midwestern landscape, the practice of printmaking requires a great deal of patience and effort. There is a beauty in the planning, the process, and even the cleaning involved in making prints. The appreciation for these elements of printmaking is evident within the Highpoint co-op community and I am continually impressed by the technique and creativity of all those I cross paths with.
I first fell for printmaking while studying Studio Art and Music at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota. After graduating in 2012, I spent a 5th year at St. Olaf as an Emerging Artist Resident and began learning how to balance a studio practice, show deadlines, and day jobs. Moving to Minneapolis the following year brought me to Highpoint, where my printmaking skills and connections to the Twin Cities art community have continually grown. Most importantly, I have found at Highpoint a group of strange and patient people who work effort-fully alongside me.
