Adam Fowler

Quarantine Series

Typically, before I begin drawing a new piece, I work with a printmaker who applies color to my drawing paper using a lithography press in a shared printmaking studio. In March, as COVID-19 precautions were being put in place, I had about two drawings worth of prepared paper. As the weeks passed, and businesses shut down, I realized I would no longer have access to an important part of my process, and I began to think about other ways to stay productive. Ultimately, I decided to focus my energies on a series of prints, but I needed to figure out a way to make it work in my studio without a press. This led to my decision to make a series of woodcut prints. In June, when I ran out of my paper, I began carving the blocks.

Woodcuts are made by carving an image into a block of wood, then applying ink with a roller to the surface of the block and, finally, using pressure, rubbing the paper to the inked block. Approaching the block as I would one of my cut drawings, I drew lines on the wood and slowly carved away the negative space. The end result, the printed ink, represents the uncarved portion of the block.

In this series, each print is made with five separate carved blocks. All three prints are made with the same five blocks, printed in the same direction, but using different colors and transparencies of ink, to arrive at three distinct final works.

There is a limited edition of 10 impressions for each variation.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions about prices and availability.

* click on image to enlarge