Striking hues of red, yellow, and blue punctuate the bold and graphic block-prints of Gretchen Grove. Gretchen has lived on the Big Island since 1969 has a Bachelor’s Degree in Art, and has been printmaking for about 20 years. She is specifically drawn to the bold nature of block printing, highlighting native Hawaiian species. She says, “I love the graphic nature of the medium and think it lends itself well to plants and animals. But the actual execution of the print is a form of meditation for me, from design to carving to inking to painting.”
Her blocks are linoleum or wood, unforgiving by nature, so “the artist must be patient, skilled, and willing to make mistakes during the process.” She does not own a press, so each image is done by inking the block, laying the paper down on the floor, laying the block face-down on top of it, and then standing on it. Each print is hand-painted after the ink has dried. A small print can take several days to execute.
Gretchen is married to photographer Jack Jeffrey and has 3 grown children. She used to live in Volcano, when Pu‘u 0’0 was fountaining regularly, and could hear it from their house!
Keep artwork out of direct sunlight and away from damp places.
Gretchen’s Artwork is available in: