Joan Dix Blair
I work in woodcut, etching, and monoprint, using traditional techniques. For me, printmaking is language. My “vocabulary” is abstraction - often inspired from nature or poetry.
I have used a scroll format for storytelling. “Penelope’s Girdle” was inspired by Homer’s “Odyssey,” and the incorporates two poems. The poets, one English and one American, were also inspired by the Odyssey’s character Penelope. The individual woodcuts are installed in a long horizontal line.
A portfolio gathers a group of prints to make single statement. My portfolio “Quercus” involved the Chapin Librarian at Williams College; Wingate Studio; and bookbinder Mark Tomlinson. Collaboration is important for my concepts.
I’ve learned techniques and made prints in these places: Crown Point Press, CA
Zea Mays Printmaking, MA
Wingate Studio, NH
Center for Contemporary Printmaking, CT
Women’s Studio Workshop, NY
VA Center for the Arts, VA, 2 fellowships
VT Studio Workshop, VT, 2 residencies
Williams College, Skidmore College, Bennington College
