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Colorado High Country and the American Southwest: Woodblocks and Watercolors by Leon LoughridgeTRANSCRIPT
Leon Loughridge
Breckenridge GalleryBreckenridge, Colorado
New Woodblocks and Watercolors / Leon Loughridge
2DCArtPress.com
Printed and Published by
Dry Creek Art PressDenver, Colorado
Copyright 2015 DCArtPress
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Saying a woodblock print took 40 years to complete might sound like an exaggerated claim,
yet in my case it’s true. Over the past 40 years I’ve built a foundation of artistic knowledge
and experience. Four decades of printmaking liberate me to manipulate my medium and
ultimately convey a range of human emotions in my landscape prints.
My woodblocks evolve through a number of stages starting with outdoor sketches
and finishing with a methodical
development in the studio. Since each
stage depends on the previous one,
it’s difficult to estimate how much
time I’ve worked on a print. My
watercolor sketches require a few
hours. The printing extends into
weeks and often more than a month
for each edition.
My watercolor sketches record
my immediate interaction with the
Western landscape, always an integral
part of my life. Personal memories,
history and lore all entwine in my
outdoor sketches that attempt to
express an emotion awakened in me
by the natural scene.
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One might think that completing a field sketch would be an easy task, yet being open
to visual inspiration offers its own challenges. There is the practical side: Fighting rush hour
traffic, for example, is not a mental state for artistic inspiration. My printmaking techniques
draw from centuries-old Japanese traditions. The Buddhists embrace the concept of a clean
mental slate. A Buddhist teaching emphasizes that immediately after a gong is struck, as the
sound reverberates the mind is a clean slate. I am not sure I want a monk following me
around with a gong, cleaning my slate, but the tradition does point to the value of a settled
mental state.
As a rule, when going out to sketch, I lock mental baggage in the car along with the
cell phone. I eliminate preconceived notions of what to paint so I can respond to the visual
environment around me. My spontaneous sketch captures the drama of an ephemeral visual
scene. The sketch can be as fleeting as the moment, yet intense emotion inspires the artistic
gesture.
The next chore is deciding how to translate that emotional essence into a complete
statement. My momentary sketches are most often just glimpses of a whole scene. I typically
combine multiple sketches, using the color scheme in one sketch for the larger composition.
A different sketch may set the mood, while another defines the positioning of objects and
still another dictates the important details. I exercise artistic license as I rearrange objects or
features in a scene to suit my own purpose of making a vibrant emotional statement. The
composition may demand moving a mountain to the right or thinning out some trees.
Adjusting the configuration allows me a sort of divine intervention with the goal of
communicating the mood and sentiment I felt while part of the landscape. Instilling emotion
in an artwork can involve a single line that lends mood. The accumulated knowledge of an art
form, its techniques and a sense of human nature grants an artist the skill to awaken
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a sense of wonder, peace or excitement in fellow viewers. The sketches, studies and failed
attempts all contribute emotional nuggets and layers to the final work.
As I begin my prints, I usually work in watercolors that allow for quick and fluid
renderings. Moving to a process-laden medium, such as woodblock printing, challenges one's
translation skills. An artist's extensive foundation or knowledge base of a medium makes
possible a more creative translation. My goal is to somehow convey the spontaneous quality
of my hasty watercolor sketch in the final painstakingly produced woodblock. I constantly
manipulate the medium throughout the printing process.
I use three woodblocks for each print edition. Each block is carved and printed multiple
times as I develop an image. With each carving stroke and with each color printed (color-
run), my process destroys the printing area of the woodblocks. The drawback to the reduction
process is that — unlike a multi-block — the image cannot be reprinted. On the other hand,
the reduction woodblock process allows for a great deal of
spontaneity throughout the printing.
In multi-block prints
the image is determined
before printing. With
reduction blocks the image
evolves throughout the
printing process.
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As I carve the blocks between color-runs, a spontaneous carving style develops in reaction to
a previous run's carve or printing technique. This freestyle development of an image is
invigorating in a process sometimes perceived as unresponsive to spontaneity. Quite often, I
plan to make a single color-run for the day only to be so excited with the outcome of the
first run that I proceed to print a second and even a third.
My spontaneous printing most often results in great effects, but occasionally leads
down a troublesome path. There, I find
myself scrambling, throwing wild
techniques at the print to solve the
problems I created. Most of the time, I
pull a rabbit out of the hat and add a
bit more knowledge to my growing
bag of tricks.
I rarely plan how many color-runs a
print will need. I try to know when to
stop. I print from light to dark, and so
when I start printing dark colors, that’s
a clue that I am near the end. At that
point, I like to pin the print up and live
with it for a few days. If something
stands out, I'll determine the solution
and print the adjustment.
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I feel a print is successful when it conveys the spontaneity and emotion from the original
sketch. I want the print to express a mood to the viewer and to capture their emotional
attention. As I design and print each color-run, I attempt to infuse my art with my personal
connection to the original scene in nature and to the inks on the paper. And as I finish
printing the last color, I realize my direct interaction with the print is over. Complete. Once
finished, I become just another viewer looking for a sense of inspiration from the woodblock
print.
Leon Loughridge
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The Watercolors
“Red Dawn”Watercolor, 9x6
“Grays and Torreys”Watercolor, 9x6
“Bald Mountain”Watercolor, 6x9
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The Watercolors
“Mountain Cathedral”Watercolor, 10.5 x 4.5
“Summer MeadowWatercolor, 10.5 x 4.5
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The Watercolors
“Rocky Bend”Watercolor, 10x8
“Big Spruce”Watercolor, 10x8
“Gore Creek”Watercolor, 10x8
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The Watercolors
“Sapphire Point”Watercolor, 22” x 14”
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The Woodblocks
“Aspen Glow”Woodblock,10.5 x 4.5
“Gnarled Aspen”Woodblock,10.5 x 4.5
“SummerMeadow”
Woodblock,10.5 x 4.5
“Mountain Cathedral”
Woodblock,10.5 x 4.5
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The Woodblocks
“Generations”Woodblock,
14x11”
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The Woodblocks
“Gore Range Sunrise”Woodblock, 18x12
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“Haybarn”Woodblock, 18x12
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“Ten Mile Range”Woodblock, 18x12
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“Shady Vista”Woodblock, 7x16”
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The Woodblocks
“Morning Reflections”Woodblock, 18x12”
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“Gilded Adobe at Trampas”Woodblock, 14x11
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Born; Denver, Colorado 1952Colorado Institute of Art 1971-1972United States Army, Graphic Designer 1972-1975
Raised in the open ranch land of Northern New Mexi-co, Leon developed an affinity for the Southwesternlandscape. He was greatly influenced by his grand-mother’s involvement in Northern New Mexico artcircles. Later study at the Colorado Institute of Artalong with private study reinforced his abilities. Sta-tioned in Germany while in the army, he was able totravel extensively throughout Europe, visiting muse-ums and maintaining sketching journals. In addition,he studied painting techniques of the old masters fortwo years, finishing by copying a Franz Hals at theStuttgart Stattsgalerie Art Museum. Long having aninterest in pen and ink, etching took on a specialmeaning from the museum’s collection of etchings.
On his return to Colorado, Leon began to study the intaglio techniques and sellingthe prints in mountain galleries. In 1998, Leon purchased his first letterpress andreceived immediate success with the woodblock prints he produced. The layering ofcolor in the woodblock process allows him to better capture the atmospheric quali-ties of the Southwestern Landscape that have such a strong meaning for him.
Leon has continued to develop his printmaking skills at his print studio, Dry CreekArt Press producing his reduction style woodblocks as well as limited editionbooks. His woodblocks are exhibited nationally and collected by numerous muse-ums. He and his wife also owned a gilding studio, producing and restoring handcarved gold leaf frames for museums and collectors for 20 years.
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2012 Birger Sandzen Memorial Gallery, Lindsborg, Ks, Peaks To Prairie,2011 Denver Art Museum, Denver, CO Western Horizons2010 Wichita Art Museum, Wichita, KS
2010-2015 Small Works, Great Wonders, National Cowboy Museum, Oklahoma City, OK2008-2015 American Masters, Salmagundi Club, New York, NY2006-2015 Coors Western Art Exhibit, National Western Stock Show, Denver, CO2004-2013 Representing The West, Sangre de Cristo Art Center, Pueblo, CO2006, 2012 Governor's Show, Loveland Museum, Loveland, CO
2015 New Works, Breckenridge Gallery, Breckenridge, CO2015 Colorado Watercolors, 5280 Elements Gallery, CO2014 Desert Skies, 5280 Elements Gallery, Centennial, CO2013 The Royal Road, Gerald Peters Gallery, Santa Fe, NM2012 Meridian, Exploring Bounderies, Goodwin Fine Art, Denver, CO2012 La Veta Fine Art Gallery, La Veta, CO2011 Santa Fe Trail, Cimarron Cutoff, American Masters Gallery, Kansas City, MO2011 3Perspectives, Gerald Peters Gallery, Santa Fe, NM2010 Colores de Otono, Gerald Peters Gallery, Santa Fe NM2010 Timberlines’ Edge, Vail International Gallery, Vail, CO2010 Spring in the Flint Hills, American Legacy Gallery, Kansas City, MO2010 Land of Ancients-Beef Basin, Dry Creek Art Press. Denver, CO2009 Las Montanas de Santa Fe, Gerald Peters Gallery, Santa Fe, NM2008 Spring Thaw in the Gore Range, Vail International Gallery, Vail CO2008 The Flint Hills, American Legacy Gallery, Kansas City MO2007 The Santa Fe Trail, New Mexico, Pinon Fine Art, Littleton CO2006 The Santa Fe Trail, Pinon Fine Art, Littleton CO2006 The Place Between, Gerald Peters Gallery, Santa Fe, NM2005 Carved Images, Gerald Peters Gallery, Santa Fe,2004 Saddles, Cabins and Mountain Vistas, Sangre de Cristo Fine Art Center, Pueblo, CO,2004 Vistas del Corazon, Great Southwest Gallery, Colorado Springs, CO2004 Paintings and Woodblocks,Pinon Fine Art, Denver, CO
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Wickenburg, AZ 2014Phoenix, AZ 2014Wichita, KA 2010
Fidelity Bank, Wichita, KS 2010Athens, GA 2010University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 2009
Boulder, CO 2009Denver, Co 2008
Denver, CO 2007Permanent Collection, Pueblo, Co 2007
, Breckenridge, CO 2005, Golden, CO 2004
Denver, CO 1992Golden Co 1984
Denver, CO 2010Colorado Springs, CO 2008
, Beaver Creek, CO 2006, Executive Suites Anaheim, CA 2005
Denver, CO 2004Denver, CO 1994
Denver CO 1989