Lisa Studier Woodcut Prints

My woodcut prints explore the natural world, most recently focusing on marine life and endangered reptiles and amphibians. The imagery has developed from a deep interest in the environment, conservation, and natural history, and intends to celebrate the beauty and diversity of animal life in the face of increasing threats such as pollution, habitat destruction, and global climate change. In the tradition of portraiture, I seek to give a sense of dignity and identity to the individual, and by extension a collective face to a previously anonymous species.

My creative process is informed by a great deal of reading, both about the individual animals as well as in the broader areas of environmental responsibility, conservation, biodiversity, and natural history. I am intrigued by how science can inform art and how art can contribute to political and scientific dialogues.

The medium of the artwork is also very important to me: the printed image has a long history as a means for social or political commentary and as a democratic, accessible medium. I work primarily in the reduction printing technique, where a single woodblock is gradually cut away in-between each color pressing, leaving it destroyed by the end of the process with a closed edition of prints. Working with the wood grain and watching the image emerge and become more defined as each color is printed gives me a sense of getting to know the creature, and a feeling for its fragility and sentience that is truly humbling. I hope that my prints will spark an interest in the animals and a desire to learn more about the environmental issues affecting them.