Artist Statement

In the printmaking tradition, an artist typically moves through various proofs to the final state of an image and then duplicates that image in a sizeable edition. Many contemporary artists, including myself, favor printmaking techniques because the aesthetic suits their expression and provides the opportunity to use part of an earlier work in another piece as an idea progresses-- not necessarily to make duplicates. Only a single print may result from months of labor. In my work there are many such prints; they are identified as editions of one (1/1).

Each print begins with a drawing of the natural world, hence the predominance of organic form. As the concept of the piece develops from the drawing, color and shape establish the aesthetic. I think of a print, especially a series of prints, as riffs on a theme, like jazz, the image constantly moving to add another viewpoint, another feeling, another rhythm, each version standing alone, yet related to the whole.

The predominant technique in my work is relief printing. I use softwood blocks cut with hand tools. The printing is done with oil-based inks using only hand pressure. No presses or mechanical equipment is used. I find a peaceful, intimate relationship to ideas and materials in this simple application. If a piece incorporates other media, it is so noted.

Biography

Carole Nelson is a fine arts graduate of the Cooper Union in New York City and the University of California Berkeley and holds a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Chicago, where she studied traditional Japanese printmaking. She has received awards for painting and printmaking, including first in show at the prestigious Chicago and Area show. Her woodblock prints have been commissioned for publications, including the Chicago Review and Chicago Magazine. The prints are characterized by sensuous line and color and are produced by hand work only; no press is used and all cuts are made with small knives and gouges. As a result, each print is unique and within a series there may only be one print of a kind.