feathers

artist statement

2009-05-19T23:25:00.000-07:00

A year and a half ago, I fell in love with woodcuts. I love the raw beauty of the print and block, but after trying it out myself, I found that I loved the process of woodcutting even more. The experience of pulling the first print off the block is deeply satisfying. The carving process is very therapeutic for me—I love the way the wood smells, I love brushing the chips off the block, I love the personality of the grain and exploring the image in it. The grain of the wood is something I have learned to respect and work with instead of imposing my own ideas on it.

My love for woodcuts led me to seek out new ways to create them. I like combining different media to create a cohesive whole. I wanted to make my own mark as a printmaker and be more experimental with my own works, so I started to print my woodcuts on fabric instead of paper. I am inspired by the skin-like quality of the cotton, and it’s stretch and pull led me to the idea of incorporating thread into my prints. Embroidery adds texture, color, and dimension to my pieces, making them more vibrant and unique. I like the idea of using recycled or used materials and giving them new life by integrating them into my pieces. All the fabric I used was from reclaimed t-shirt material, I used discarded picture frames to stretch the fabric over, and many of the woodblocks I use for carving are made from found wood.

I am happy for this opportunity to illustrate this simple story I wrote about the four elements. Instead of telling the story in words, I wanted the viewer to read the images and let the art communicate the story more directly. The reason I chose to depict this story is because of its significance to me and the way it serves to remind me to love intentionally and use my gifts to serve the community.

...they find themselves alone

2009-05-19T22:44:00.000-07:00

the immaculate conceptions

2009-05-19T22:41:00.000-07:00

gestation

2009-05-19T22:38:00.000-07:00

the birth of the elements

2009-05-19T22:23:00.000-07:00

nourishment

2009-05-19T22:17:00.000-07:00

growth

2009-05-19T22:13:00.000-07:00

flourishing

2009-05-19T21:54:00.001-07:00

...boasting

2009-05-19T21:45:00.000-07:00

the battle of the elements

2009-05-19T21:36:00.000-07:00

a mother's prayer

2009-05-19T21:32:00.000-07:00

destruction

2009-05-19T21:28:00.000-07:00

illumination

2009-05-19T20:54:00.000-07:00

the burial

2009-05-19T20:48:00.000-07:00

(thanks to Dennis Isom for his help on this piece)

repentance

2009-05-19T20:27:00.000-07:00

reconciliation

2009-05-19T20:22:00.001-07:00

reunited

2009-05-19T20:18:00.000-07:00

the gallery

2009-05-19T20:09:00.000-07:00

(many many thanks to the adorable Dona Harvey for generously providing me with these gorgeous photographs of the collection)

(also, huge enormous thanks to lovely Andrea, who brought food for all the guests)
(also, humongous and voluptuous thanks to sweetsweet Rachel and crazylicious Katie, who helped me set up the show)

(also, tons and tons of thank you's to the beloved Micah Jerrell for all his help, love and support through this project)

(big big thanks also to the Greenville College Art Department Faculty, specifically Steve Heilmer and Jake Admunson.)

i am so thankful

quadruple self portrait

2008-12-08T09:37:00.000-08:00

a semester come and gone.

2008-12-07T22:58:00.000-08:00

portrait of Christ

empty handed woman
woodcuts
on paper and National Geographic pages

rachel's birthday birds
linocut on canvas with stitching

holy hands
woodcut

portrait of a girl
carving

pregnant
oil pastel

nude in a field
woodcuts
on paper and cotton with stitching

nude in a field II
carving

unto whom eyes are open
woodcuts on paper and cotton with stitching

self portrait
linocuts
on paper and National Geographic pages

another tshirt relief print with stitching

2008-11-07T15:20:00.000-08:00

(the wood block)

Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakens.
Carl Jung

relief prints on cotton + some needlework!

2008-11-07T14:51:00.000-08:00

so i decided to print some of my blocks on some old t shirts and add some stitching to them.
usually when i make a linocut or a woodcut, it is the block that seems to be the real masterpiece, since i've put more time into carving it, and the prints end up being secondary in my heart of hearts. stitching detail and color into my prints helped me to appreciate each one a lot more, and the action of stitching is very relaxing and meditative to me. i stretched and stapled the fabric over some old picture frames i found at the thift store, and then added a little extra color with gauche.

self portrait

autumn leaves
(the leaves are stitching)

woman in a field
(the hair is stitching)

that seems a little sketchbook

2008-11-07T14:48:00.000-08:00

self portraits

2008-11-04T08:57:00.000-08:00

relief block prints on pages from national geographic

what is it that we contain?

tread lightly

2008-11-04T08:50:00.000-08:00

ink drawing

watch what you're stepping on..

final projects for painting II

2008-05-14T14:30:00.000-07:00

'fennec fox'
in the style of audrey kawasaki

'luna moths'
also in audrey kawasaki's style.

untitled personal piece

last year's best.

2008-05-03T09:18:00.000-07:00

the three muses

self portrait in memory of Frida Kahlo

full-size protrait of Caitlin Daniel in the style of Djamel Tatah.

several.

2008-04-03T04:24:00.000-07:00

self portrait
(featured in the Papyrus)

rabbit spirit (also featured in the Papyrus)

easter eggs

Vanessa and Jared portrait (also in the style of Alice Neel)

2008-04-03T04:19:00.000-07:00

this is my lovely brother and sister.

attempt #2 painting in Neel's style.

phillip

2008-03-17T15:26:00.002-07:00

shannon riley in the style of alice neel

2008-03-14T14:21:00.000-07:00

alice neel (1900-1984)
a brilliant portraitist
www.aliceneel.com

i did a project on her for my painting class.

envelope art

2008-03-14T14:16:00.001-07:00

this one contained my paycheck.

i miss having long hair sometimes

download these songs!

2008-02-05T18:17:00.001-08:00

they are intense and amazing!
http://www.berrymeme.com/Animalia.html

berry album art

2008-02-04T06:38:00.000-08:00

my friends are in a wonderful band
http://www.myspace.com/berry
and they asked me to do the art for their new album.
it's about the grand food chain.
you can download it for free on the internet later this week-
i'll post the link here when i get it from them.

not sure which one i like better....
maybe the purple one..

yeah. i guess i like it better than the plain one.

wembley shadwell album art

2008-02-02T19:45:00.000-08:00

my friends are in this wonderful band

http://www.myspace.com/wemblyshadwell

and they asked me to make them a linocut for their new album.

their music is really inspirational.

fiddle faddle

2008-01-23T14:50:00.000-08:00

limbs of joy

the wee lass of worry

this was origionally a tooth.
it developed jeans and sneakers somehow.

the dog lay down sleepily.

well.

2008-01-20T15:01:00.000-08:00

the whole family.
origional blocks stained from use after use after use....

two weeks of straight printmaking
and i'm taking off the apron

for now.

Get Your Own Personalized Icon Linocut Character!!

2008-01-16T23:41:00.001-08:00

avery watts, rachel brown, kelly latimore, and johannah swank.

robert varner, the holy ghost, katie bogdanowicz, and I.

vanessa rae plant, jared plant, robert morrison, and dustin sommers.

jake admunson, debbie from the green door, caitlin daniel, and catherine burns.

...and the final touches.

2008-01-16T23:17:00.000-08:00

i'm rather fond of this little one.

goat face.

this strikes my fancy as well.

grow, little tree!

detail from the "tree" series.
(every time the little sprout grew taller her limbs and trunk hurt. she felt like she was stretching. being stretched is uncomfortable for a little sprout.)
beautiful words written by Rod Tucker, for his most recent book, which is untitled as of now.

these two pieces are romantically involved.
shhhh.

bits and pieces of a woman.
she was made out of seven separate blocks.

final print.

goodness gracious

2008-01-12T17:27:00.000-08:00

walk on wood

trees trees trees

some horizontal fire

bookmarks!
pears!

experiments with the Christ vine linocut.
...
still not completely satisfied.

i have a fascination with luna moths.
i'd like to give it another try though. this guy looks rather tribal and agressive...
certian qualities that moths are not commonly known to possess

she's been etched.
luna.

for those of you who are photographically inclined
(taken on the way back from st louis)

buncha new stuff

2008-01-09T22:48:00.000-08:00

i've been spending a lot of time in the basement of the art center.

those are from the same block. i'm fond of the ideas, i just need to perfect the prints.

old woodburned block i decided to print in black and yellow.
i had no idea it would turn out.

she's a puzzler.
check back soon for updates on this piece.

color experiments.

2008-01-07T16:06:00.001-08:00

my attempts at woodcuts with color layering.
i had a productive day!

christ the vine

2008-01-07T10:50:00.000-08:00

touched up with watercolor
(i'm not sure if i like it better just plain b&w. it was worth the experiment though.)

b&w print

finished linoblock

..in progress

2008-01-04T21:57:00.000-08:00

the beginning stages of my christ linocut...

"midaregami"

2008-01-04T21:50:00.000-08:00

japanese for "tangled hair"

red panda linocut

2008-01-04T18:37:00.000-08:00

christmas 2007.

for katie.

comfort. joy. holy family. baby boy.

2007-12-07T11:27:00.000-08:00

trying to thrive. city life.

2007-11-27T21:42:00.000-08:00

"never give up, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn"

-harriet beecher stowe

the space between us is sacred

2007-11-26T21:58:00.000-08:00

album cover for compilation cd to benefit S.A.F.E. - (Stop Abuse For Everyone) - a national abuse awareness association.

featuring the music of aaron roche, tyler james, berry, the silent film, kelly latimore, nate henricks, me, and many others.

$5.oo

all proceeds go to http://www.safe4all.org/

contact me if you're interested!

inside the dreams of katie bogdanowicz

2007-11-26T21:45:00.000-08:00

upon the fertile plains of asia

2007-11-26T21:42:00.000-08:00

hadessa's office mural

2007-11-26T21:34:00.000-08:00

accessories thanks to the thrift store.
blingbling.

some new engravings/burnings

2007-11-05T18:15:00.000-08:00

foliage of some sort

dan
cox

in wilderness

while in milwaukee

2007-10-25T15:27:00.000-07:00

"a manifestation"

front door sign.

"marshallterristephanievanessajared"

first woodcut.

2007-10-18T18:41:00.001-07:00

the print

the block

the morning my kit arrived.
oh what a feeling.

favorite watercolors of the summer

2007-10-15T10:16:00.000-07:00

"eiffel towers can't break us"

"inspiratin: caitlin daniel"

"etta's rules of etiquette #15"

(for rachel brown)

red.green.yellow

2007-10-03T23:41:00.001-07:00

papyrus entry #3

katie bogdanowicz's dream.

2007-10-03T23:32:00.000-07:00

I went to sleep that night with purple rings of tired under my eyes. In my hands I grasped my camera.
In the beginning there was nothing…just a dull white room. Whiteness like bleach. It stung my eyes so I closed them—and then I felt a mighty wind rush over me.
I hesitantly opened an eye. I was surprised to find that I was in the middle of a great big field. I’m not sure if you know what Lupin are, but I’ll try to describe them. It’s a type of flower, kind of like fox gloves, they are purple, pink, or white. This field was brimming with them along with yellow daffodils and bright, vibrant green grass.
In the distance, there was a great big tree with a beautiful pale bark and deep crimson leaves. So, I waded through the thick field and up to it. The way the grass and flowers swayed, you could see the wind skimming and swimming over them, like silvery fingers playing on the surface of the smooth, green blanket over the ground. It blew my hair, which was long and dark brown, like it was when I was much younger. I was aware that I was wearing a bright yellow, cotton dress; it buttoned up my chest and fanned out below the waist. Ideal for twirling in. Around my neck hung my camera, glinting in the pale shafts of sunlight.
When I finally made my long ascent up the hill, I found the massive tree to be much larger than I expected. It was probably seventy feet high, with enormous knots and knobs. The bark was smooth, despite the bulbous knobs and upon closer inspection I discovered that the knobs were actually faces, because, as I began to climb the tree, one of them started coughing.
Quite indignantly, quoth the face upon the knob upon the tree, “What do you expect you’re doing, girl?” It had a think Irish accent.
I sat down in surprise into a soft patch of moss. The mushrooms growing by the roots were as large and thick as my legs. They were red and spotted and I found I could settle upon the top of one quite comfortably, if I pretended it was a chair.
The knob-faces were all contorting and twisting this and that way to get a better look at me.
“There hasn’t been a human here for years!” Exclaimed a mottled face that rather sounded like an old Russian woman.
“Ye’d best be careful,” warned an old, garbled southern man, “This tree will just as soon eat you as let you eat from it.”
I looked up and behold, there were the most beautiful golden orbs hanging on it, dripping with dew. They looked like a cross between an apple and a peach, although they were a bit greater in scale than, say, a large watermelon.
I wandered to one which had hit the ground. It was a bronze colour, wrinkled and not as attractive as the plump shiny things in the blood red branches. Inside there were many seeds that were the size of my fist, large sparkling rubies and emeralds.
“These look pretty valuable.” I said.
“They probably are, if you had a place to sell them,” replied the young Swedish voice of a nearby knob, “The nearest city is fifty leagues.”
“Consequently, if you touch one, this tree will take your soul,” whispered a sly voice,.Out of a deep, dark knob slithered a bright, salmon-coloured snake with golden eyes and a bright blue tongue that flicked at me with an ere of supreme intelligence, “How do you think this tree became so massive?” Its laugh was a low hiss, not entirely unpleasant, but still somehow malevolent.
“Snakes can’t talk.” I said.
The snake simply shrugged (if that’s possible), and slithered away, “I just thought I’d warn you.”
“I thought snakes were supposed to be rather sinister.”
“Well, that shows what a silly child knows.” The snake suddenly began slithering through the air, gliding away into the sky in a huff, like a glittering pink Chinese dragon in the sun. I picked up my camera from my chest and a resounding click echoed through the glade as the snake glinted out of sight behind a gloomy gray cloud.

-Katie Bogdanowicz

i hope the Lord was pleased.

2007-09-28T23:17:00.000-07:00

this is a drawing i made in the chapel service last night infront of the congregation. when you turn it upside down, it seems to have a different meaning altogether.
after the service, several people came up to me and asked me what it was.
?

worship.
and also some prayer.

and the feeling i get about God.

second Papyrus submission - another Emily Dickinson

2007-09-27T09:12:00.000-07:00

To live is so startling it leaves little time for anything else.

-Emily Dickinson

ajar ajar ajar

2007-09-24T22:13:00.000-07:00

tire swing

2007-09-23T12:30:00.000-07:00

Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the wind longs to play with your hair.
-Kahlil Gibran

watercolor.whistler.recliner

2007-09-22T19:35:00.000-07:00

this person reminds me of a lot of people i love.

self portrait shotgun (the early august horizon which is almost passed out of view, goodbye day)

2007-09-21T11:44:00.000-07:00

Little Wing & I Dwell in Possibility

2007-09-20T20:24:00.001-07:00

some songs are pictures

I dwell in Possibility -

A fairer House than Prose-

More numerous of Windows-

Superior- for Doors-

Of Chambers as the Cedars-

Impregnable of Eye-

And for an Everlasting Roof-

The Gambrels of the Sky-

Of Visitors- the fairest-

For Occupation- This-

The spreading wide my narrow Hands-

To gather Paradise-

-Emily Dickinson

summer sketches

2007-09-20T01:26:00.000-07:00

where are you going? where have you been?
what do you think about when you first wake up in the morning?
are you ready to go on a journey?

sometimes you can barely inch by.

shoebox

2007-09-19T11:00:00.000-07:00

first of a series of drawings i am making for our school newspaper called The Papyrus.

just a simple doodle to submit for tonight.

i've been thinking about containers a lot.

containers in general.

jars

cups

vases

and also

bags

buckets

and boxes

what is it that i contain?

lyrics to 'The Ballad of the Unwanted Guests'

2007-09-02T12:59:00.000-07:00

On a clear day on the shores of the Baltic
The immigrants gathered to start a new life.
Anticipation was fizzling the air and
They packed crates and boxes and sealed them up tight.

The crew bellowed shanties, taught kids dirty jokes,
And the women reheated the soup every night.
They all compared their big dreams and bright futures
And on every star they would wish that they might.

Their ship was suddenly tossed in the darkness!
Mothers were crying, the children held close.
Men fought each other and hoarded life jackets,
The captain spat orders and buttoned his coat.

They were waves caused by whales
Who were recklessly waltzing below-
With the swish and sway of their tails
They put on quite an excellent show-
as they sang:

"Come join our dance,
Come and join in our splashing!
We shall sings songs and dance under the stars.
Take off your shoes and your long heavy petticoats,
The water is great and the dance is not hard!"
Lalalalalala

Next thing they knew they were washed up on shore,
They were tattered and hungry and soggy and cold.
They were alone on a small desert island
With dark creepy jungles and horrors untold.

The women made shelters from grounded banana leaves,
Somewhat disheartened, they tried to make due.
The men gathered mangos, plantains, and papayas
to feed hungry families for a day or two.

to their shock, that same day
many monkeys appeared from the trees!
if you’d been there then you might say
“never has there been such thievery!”
What a shame.

“Come join our feast!” called the pilfering monkeys.
“follow us to our grand celebration,
“There at our table we’ll add this small portion
“you’re very welcome to join in the fun!”
Lalalala

Bothered and famished
They crawled to their shelters,
The women sang lullabies
The children dozed off.
The fathers extinguished small fires in the shadows,
Not quite content with thier saltwater broth.

They tossed and they turned
but the whispers around them
Made hair on their necks stand straight up nonetheless-
An uneasy feeling awakened the captain,
Feeling the presence of unwelcome guests...

They were grand pelicans
Swooping down from the ominous skies!
They grabbed men, women and children
Scooping them up to their great surprise!
And they sang:

“We’re off to the sky parade, the king has arrived!
You may ride in our beaks, we will try not to bite.
Our kingdom welcomes you, we will provide for you,
There on that island you’d not have survived.”
Lalalalalalala

(written communally by Steph Plant, Thomas Johnson, Katie Bogdanowicz, and Rachel Brown)