Newsletter #4 - The Art of Nature Printing

The Art of Nature Printing

"What a nature printer needs most is a combination of curiosity and patience." ~ Robert Little

Every year, I teach a Nature Printing class, which throws me back to the origins of my practice. In the 80's, there were so many wanna-be artists hand-painting T-shirts in Key West, we jokingly referred to the island as the "Hand-painted T-Shirt Capital of the World."

I was one of them, and that's when my experiments with printing plants began. The leaves in the tropics are BIG! A T-shirt's limited size led me to print on larger pieces of canvas and natural fabrics, which became pillows and hammocks. My business was born.

"One can learn technique in 15 minutes, but it can take a lifetime to master."
Thus, it is with Nature Printing. There is always more to discover. My early pursuits on fabric eventually led me to paper, adding drawings and paintings to handmade art prints—a practice that matured into my distinctive style.

Thus, it is with Nature Printing. There is always more to discover and learn about the process, which keeps one hooked. 

My early pursuits utilizing this art form on fabric eventually led me to experiment on paper, which took me on an entirely different path. Over time, I began adding drawings and paintings to my handmade art prints, and that practice expanded and matured into my distinctive style. Antique botanical lithographs and nature studies continue to inspire my work, and I love creating fresh, contemporary representations of these revered art forms.

I learned a big lesson, though, while in North Carolina, studying Botanical Drawing at Penland, a marvelous artist retreat in the mountains. One day, after drawing class, during free time, I collected new, unfamiliar plants to print from the surrounding forest. The next morning, after one of these printing sessions, I looked in the mirror to discover my face was red and my eyes were very puffy. Without realizing it, I had been printing a variety of poison ivy!  After that, I began identifying my subjects first.