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Woodcut on hand-dyed Sekishu with silver leaf embellishment. Printed by Harry Schneider, assisted by Alejandra Arias Sevilla and Lori Linton. Published by Mullowney Printing, Portland, OR. Sheet: 20 3/4 x 92 inches. Edition of 10.
About Marie Watt’s work:
Two new woodcuts by Marie Watt contemplate place, land, and the power of invocation in Native communities. Watt’s series, titled Horizon (2023), draws inspiration from the environment. The prints feature site-specific, doubled relational words that create an overlapping call and response, resonating both linguistically and visually across the broad color washes. The work adds an ephemeral, atmospheric layer to Watt’s ongoing exploration of the expansiveness of horizon lines. Reflecting on this, the artist writes, “the sunrise and its light observe us, as we similarly observe and seek its glow and touch. There is an intimacy and connectedness in this exchange which includes more than human entities.” The colors in Watt’s woodcuts are drawn from the artist’s and printers’ experiences with sunrises and sunsets. Silver leaf enhances the misty legibility of the fading letters as the artist continues to explore the nature of light. The shimmering highlights emphasize the words “ANCIENT” and “YOUNG” as an odd pair, following a line of inquiry with a generational perspective. This call and response extend across time, reaching back to past generations and forward to future ones.
