Featured Artist Diane Castle Babcock

Inspired by the great outdoors, printmaker Diane Castle Babcock creates engaging scenes that capture sun and fresh air. View more by visiting her website.

 

 

My art combines things that bring me joy: creating art, walking in the woods, and spending time with my dog. The first time I did a linoleum block print, I fell in love with the process. I am attracted to the texture and the rich vibrant colors of the oil-based inks that I use.

 

 

I call myself an Impressionist because my landscapes deal with the quality of light and atmosphere. Visiting the same place at different times of day and times of year yields a totally different feeling that I convey in my linocuts. When I carve the linoleum, I use small lines and dots of color that gives my art an Impressionist feeling.

 

 

I travelled to the Adirondacks as a child. Later in life, I lived there for fifteen years. My block prints are inspired by my time outdoors. Whether I climb a mountain that I have never climbed before or walk in a familiar park with my dog, I observe the wonder of nature around me. I may be sweating or freezing. Sometimes it’s so dark I can barely see or I’m plagued with mosquitos and black flies buzzing around me. I still enjoy the experience.

 

 

I create drawings based on memories and photos of my travels. These are the foundation of my linocuts. I use the reduction block printing process, which means I  carve away from one piece of linoleum in stages. For this reason, it is critical to plan my composition and colors carefully. I must print the entire edition at one time; there is no going back once I have cut something out.

 

 

For example, I print blue on all my paper. When I am done printing, I cut away the areas of the linoleum that I want to remain blue. I then print the next color over the first. If the second color is green, I then cut away the green areas. I continue this process until the print is finished. The block is destroyed as I make the print.

 

 

I use V-shaped cutters and a bamboo baren to press the ink onto the paper. I use a printing technique called a rainbow roll that blends different colors and values on the brayer. This technique allows me to enhance the aerial perspective of the landscape.

 

 

I print on Japanese Mulberry paper and oil-based inks. My editions are less than fifty, and each linocut is a unique work of art.

 

 

Recently I expanded my work to include shadow boxes that incorporate tree branches. I collect the branches as I hike. I then bleach, polyurethane or paint the branches, I later cut them in order to integrate them into my landscapes.

 

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