Today we’d like to introduce you to Amy McGregor-Radin.
So, before we jump into specific questions about your art, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
When I go about my travels—daily or otherwise—I am often drawn to a scene, a view of the horizon, or a particular angle of an object. These are my favorite things to capture using white line woodcuts, in part as a way of investigating and memorizing them for myself. Recently, I have been pushing the boundaries of the traditional white line woodcuts with out-sized items and unusual perspectives. I enjoy experimenting with this hand-printing technique and relish the freedom to play with wood, color, and shapes that this method allows.
I have been creating white line woodcuts, also known as Provincetown prints, since 2002, after being inspired to learn the technique by an exhibit at The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. I experimented on my own and took classes from wonderful teachers and continue to learn as much as I can about white line printing and its’ history. Along the way, I have found a supportive group of artists and friends who help and encourage me– a key to growing as an artist.
Devised by Provincetown, Massachusetts artists in the early 1900s, the white line method involves incising wood with a design, hand-painting each shape on the board, and transferring the color to paper using a traditional printer’s baren or other tools to create pressure. While a given design can be printed many times over, each print is done individually and is unique.
Sharing the technique with others is very satisfying for a number of reasons. White line woodcuts are low-tech, the materials are fairly inexpensive, and the process is interruptible–great for busy people who might have only limited time and minimal space for art-making. Plus it is, as far as we know, indigenous to Massachusetts and pioneered in large part by women.
Going forward, I’d like to find a way to use my white line woodcuts as illustrations or product label artwork. Creating an image to match someone else’s vision is a challenge I enjoy.
Has it been a smooth road?
Art was always part of the conversation in my parents’ home and community. We were always encouraged to learn about it and try different things. Growing up, I was always making, crafting, or sewing.
As a young mother, I was fortunate to meet an art mentor/coach just when I needed her. The late Mary McLane, an artist in the Waltham Mills Artist Association, worked to bring out the artist in each of her workshop participants, myself included. Under her watchful eye, I explored various techniques and themes and learned a great deal about myself and the art world.
Devoting time to art is not difficult; balancing the rest of life is the hard part! I wear many different “hats”—community, family and more– and I wouldn’t trade that for anything, but at times art takes a back seat. I know how very lucky I am to have the support of my family and flexibility galore, so I am not complaining!
We’d love to hear more about what you do.
Sharing the white line woodcut technique through exhibits, teaching, and demonstrating has been a treat. To me, it is preserving a bit of history–of a time when Provincetown, Massachusetts was a haven for artists fleeing Europe and of independent women making their way in the art world.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
I think most artists find it hard to start out no matter where they live. You have to be part artist and part business-person to get your work out to be seen or heard, and you have to find a way to pay the rent at the same time. The Boston area is expensive and which adds to the equation. That said, it is full of amazingly creative and supportive people.
Artists and art add so much vibrancy to a community; we need to nurture artists of all sizes and stripes and make it possible for them to live and create here.
Pricing:
- My white line woodcut prints are $100-$500
Contact Info:
- Website: www.amymcgregorradin.com
- Email: amradinart@gmail.com
- Instagram: @mcgregorradinprints
- Other: shop.etsy.com/whitelinecards
Getting in touch: BostonVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
