In November of 2022 I was selected to be the first Artist-in-Residence for the Allegheny National Forest (the first for any National Forest, according to my brother, but who’s to say). I spent two weeks as their Winter Resident in January of 2023, living and working from a retired bunkhouse on forest property.
Part of my proposal was that I would create a WPA-inspired design to celebrate their centennial.
My postcard design (2-color screenprint)
During the residency, I held an open-studio event where the public was invited to discuss my work and participate in a printing demonstration. Folks were able to print and finish the postcard design themselves, making for a unique experience.
The workshop was hosted at the Laughing Owl Press, a vintage letterpress studio in Kane, PA. I highly recommend checking out the work they do!
While experimenting with different methods for making screens, I hand-painted emulsion directly on the screen to demonstrate a low-cost, DIY approach to screen printing.
Getting the two screens to register properly proved to be difficult, but this could be alleviated with a little more planning during the pre-press stage. Not bad!
Some photos from my time in the Allegheny National Forest.
