Printmaking
This print was originally created for a print exchange called "Homesick/Restless" curated by Barry O'Keefe. The theme was how living in the city of Richmond, VA can have a push-pull effect on its residents as they both long for it and may want to get away. I thought about what Richmond means to me and this is what I wrote:
'My print depicts vignettes of time passing: sometimes lazily, sometimes with creative fervor - as in the lower right vignette where I'm carving a linocut. I wanted it to reflect the influence of a city environment and the natural elements I am drawn to. In my mind, the shrill of cicadas and the proliferation of pokeberry is linked to muggy Richmond summers, and every day I hear the blast of train whistles in the distance. In the process of planning and creating this print, I thought about how I came to Richmond seven years ago. It has been the place where I truly "grew up." Maybe I don't feel like an adult all the time, but in Richmond I became a teacher, a working artist, and in most ways I am doing the things I am passionate about. Sometimes a place can nurture the kind of person you want to be. Through all the learning, working, failing, waiting, and hoping, Richmond gave me the environment I needed to "emerge."'
