Rachel Newling: Linocuts of Aussie Birds & Flora

 Until I took a few classes in art printing, I didn't realize how much more involved it is than painting. Now, I have an understanding and appreciation for those artists who have mastered the processes. Such an artist is Rachel Newling (1956-). 

 

 

Newling was born and studied art in the UK. It was while visiting Australia, that she decided to move to Sydney. It was a fortuitous decision because she finds endless inspiration in the birds and flora of her chosen home. 

 

 

Her linocut technique is to draw on the board and carve the design much the same way as in woodcuts. Printing is a matter of placing handmade Washi paper over the inked linocut, and by using a baren, she carefully rubs the design onto the paper. Printing in this manner is more time consuming and tedious, but the results can be more satisfying than running through a mechanical printing press.

 

 Once the print is removed and dry, she hand colors each one in the series run using archival gouache paints. Hence, each has a slight variation in coloration.

 

Newling's art is in the collections of museums, galleries and private owners. (BTW she has a wonderful explanation with photos of her technique on her website:  https://www.rachelnewling.com/about  )

 

Debi Shapiro: The Eternal Flower Season

 

 It's such a beautiful time in the PNW! The riotous colors of blooms and blossoms makes the spirits rise in the body. To capture that feeling and be able to enjoy it beyond Spring are the works of the botanical photographer, Debi Shapiro. 

 

 

 

 

Shapiro trained as a fashion and beauty photographer. It was the inspiration of 17th Century floral artists and the large, single bloom paintings of Georgia O' Keeffe that led her to own evolution to floral photography.

  

 

 

Another consideration in Shapiro's draw to flora was the knowledge of how fleeting the moments were from budding hope to withering away. It gave meaning to the phrase, "the journey of the transformation of life." This meant that capturing the height of astonishing beauty became an event to be recorded permanently. 

 

 

Shapiro's floral portraits are so detailed and are featured against a black background reminiscent of the 17th Century oil paintings that first inspired her. You can see more of her works in her recently published book, "Beauty in Bloom,"with over 200 floral images.