Familiar images of our Northwest shorelines, woodlands, wildlife and gardens are a common thread between the two featured artists in our current show. Michael Kershisnik And Yoshiko Yamamoto are both accomplished in the art and technique of linoleum block printing. Though the themes of these prints may have similarities, their end results are very different.
Yamamoto’s use of brilliant colors and strong lines have made her work a favorite additions to the gallery walls. While many of the images – ripe red apples, a bumble bee on lavender, California poppies and chickadees are things we all easily recognize, her landscape pieces of fields and waterways are just as distinct. Yoshiko’s art doesn’t end with the print alone. Each piece in this exhibit comes beautifully finished in a handsome craftsman oak frame, a work of art in themselves.
This is our first showing of black & white prints by Olympia’s Michael Kershisnik. This body of work also features subject matter inspired by our local lands and waters, but executed in a very different manner. Playful otters and foxes, a drifting feather, a salmon being released are all a perfect balance of bold silhouettes against sweeping, linear background patterning. Each print has just a touch of the subject matter falling just outside of the border, adding interest and movement to each piece. Kershisnik’s work is also distinctly, yet minimally framed so as not to take away from the print itself.
Linoleum Block Prints by Michael Kershisnik & Yoshiko Yamamoto
In addition to prints, we have new work from Chris Maynard on display. If you have never seen Maynard’s unique shadow boxes of intricately, hand cut and precisely placed feathers, they are definitely worth a trip in themselves to look at.
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