June 6th is First Friday in Multnomah Village. Join us at Village Frame and Gallery for an exhibit of calligraphy, block printing, and other paper arts by Portland artist Diane Flack. She will be at the Gallery:
- Friday, June 6th from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
- Saturday, June 7th from Noon to 4 p.m.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Artist Statement: Diane Flack
I have been a freelance calligrapher for about 22 years and a block printer for ten. I also play at watercolor and hand made books as well as artist books and cards. I love the look of ink on a page. I am also in love with paper, all kinds of paper.
While studying block printing with Denis Cunningham, I also fell head over heels for patterns, negative space and all aspects of block printing. The process is very labor intensive but the result is always a surprise, not always a good one. I often find a photograph or see a scene that catches my eye because of the lights and darks, contrast of positive and negative space and composition. Then I draw, or redraw it to capture the scene in a block print friendly way. After carving and inking, the process is a mystery, just waiting to be pulled. Sometimes the mystery is solved with a successful print and sometimes I must go back and retrace my steps, make adjustments, carve more, and attempt the process again.
I am interested in realistic scenes of people working, charming old cars, interesting traditional kimonos, and celebrations of life. I am used to people who work hard and respect the beauty of classic cars and 40’s images. I have no fidelity to genre. I am interested in all kinds of patterns.
Block printing is exciting because it is a lesson in simplicity. Taking an image down to the most simple lines is often rewarding, often misleading. Being able to read a print the first time around is my goal. Not like a child’s painting, where you must say, “Tell me about this,” because you have no idea what it is supposed to be. I love it when I pull a print and hang it up for inspection and someone will say, “Hey, that’s a great cowboy!” I am experimenting with abstract geometrics inspired by the Gee’s Bend quilts. I also love fabrics and textures.
My work has been purchased by Lewis and Clark Library, and hangs in prominent homes in Portland, Washington, California and Rome, Italy. I have been fortunate to show my work with Print Arts Northwest, University of Arkansas in Rome, Focus on Books Conferences and the Streff Gallery at Marylhurst.
I have served on the Boards of Focus on Book Conferences, three international conferences hosted by the Portland Society for Calligraphy, the Marylhurst Alumni Board and the Multnomah Arts Center. Chair. I teach Bookbinding and Calligraphy for Portland Community College and sub in three of their libraries.
Art by Diane Flack
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