As this longer than usual leap year February progresses to it’s extra final day, I will call attention to observance of Black History Month and share my latest incarnation of the linocut piece that I completed last year. The new print is on handmade wood panels and is in limited edition of 6! You can read my artist statement about this piece and that says a lot, but I still find myself gaining insight into the few figures I highlight in the piece.
When I read what little there is to read about Tempy Avery, I realize that my own neighborhood was a part of her history as she was given several parcels of land in Montford which she passed down to her relatives…
Dr. William Trent is featured prominently in a band photo that has made the rounds in Asheville for the past few years and I even have a print of it on my wall!
E W Pearson is a name that comes up often when talking to my buddy artist Dewayne Barton about his community…Pearson was the founder of the Burton St. Community, and much more.
I also encourage anyone interested to check out what Dr. Waters (whose quote on the print inspired its making) is up to and what he has to say! He consistently comments on the state of Black Asheville and the historical implications of current events…
Above is a detail of the city of Asheville reproduced from a 1919 photo featuring the YMI cultural center in the lower right hand corner.
I am also learning about screen printing. These newer incarnations are screened onto wood giving me more flexibility of surfaces to print on…Phil Cheney and I created a large tabletop print station to handle such a large screen so that the finished product is the same size as the original 3 foot X 3 foot linocut!
I have a couple of these pieces available at Horse and Hero (a wonderful gallery of my peers where the print was filmed for local news WLOS!) if you are interested or you can contact me directly!
