By 2019, I considered printmaking my primary focus as an artist for several years. Many of the prints featured on this page were in my first first solo show “Paw Prints” at Black Butte Center for Railroad Culture in 2019.
2020 was a year of change for many people around the world, to state the obvious. That year, I changed my artist name (née Bearclaw) and had more time to experiment with printmaking techniques. While I still primarily make detailed monochrome block prints on kitakata paper, it seems appropriate to mark 2020 as a shift in my practice.
Bramble Fox
2018
This is my favorite piece from the before times. Although I’ve matured as an artist since then, this is still one of my best works. I really made use of my perfect near-sighted vision that I had back then.
The swirling plants and animals were influenced by William Morris (1832-1896) and his elaborate designs. My version is more chaotic.
Garden Griffin
2018
Millefleur (literally “thousand flowers”) is a background design found in Middle Ages to Renaissance European tapestry. The Unicorn Tapestry is a famous example.
I remember all of these plants as being real California Native Plants, except for the Lavender above the griffin’s head.
Humboldt Marten
2019
The swirling leaf design here is inspired by William Morris’ Acanthus Wallpaper, which in turn was inspired by Acanthus as ornament – found in ancient Greek and Roman architecture all the way back to 450 BC. Acanthus, the real plant, is found in the Mediterranean.
Shasta Flicker
2019
For birders, there is a concept of “spark bird”- the bird that caught your interest first. Northern Flicker is my spark bird.
Near and dear to me is the Shasta Mountain area in far Northern California. Many wonderful birds and friends reside there. The border of this print is supposed to be Yreka Phlox. Yreka Phlox is known to grow in only a few areas around Yreka, CA.
Umpqua Fisher
2020
Ok, so I made this print in 2020, but pre-March 2020, so I am including it here.
Fiona Barnacle 
