Jane Cloutier

Linocut

I've been a botanical illustrator and a cut paper artist, but in 2007 I started working seriously on printmaking, with a class on Japanese woodblock printing from Mary Brodbeck.  Ten years later, I started linocut classes with Laura DeLind. 

I think that what I feel when I see a landscape or a plant is a lot like the way some people feel when they want to pet a beautiful animal.  I get to touch the scene by making it into a picture, and letting the shapes and lines and colors start playing with each other.  Lino work lets me enjoy the craft of carving (in a medium that is easier on my hands than wood!) plus the joy of discovery each time I lift a print off the block to reveal a new creation.