About the Printmaker

I was blessed to grow up on a Montana farm, surrounded by hayfields, livestock, and lots of heavy equipment! By the grace of God (and good parents) I learned to do a lot of cool things with my own two hands—(with good tools, of course!)

Always an artist, I got especially swept up by printmaking because I fell in love with two things: its meditative rhythms, and its collection of timeless tools. I believe printmaking and letterpress are some of the lost arts of our past and it is a personal mission of mine to keep them alive in my own practice. I often feel like I was born 100 years too late, and this art form ties me to generations past.

Like the fan blades of a windmill that pump water from the ground, the flywheel of my 1910 Chandler and Price platen press and the gear-driven drum of my etching press work almost like magic. These beloved workhorses of mine crank out one print after the next with their quiet muscle—slow and steady.

Technology is amazing, but it can also overwhelm me. The organic, tactile nature of print is extremely therapeutic and brings me peace when my computers and devices drive me crazy! I hope you can find a raw and simple beauty in the things I create from hand-carved blocks, vintage metal and wood type, paper, ink, and a big beautiful hunk of iron.

(With a little elbow grease thrown in.)

Erika