Pat Brokaw
Painter
Pat Anderson Brokaw grew up in Omaha, Nebraska, received a B.A. in art from Hastings College and then pursued graduate work in art at several institutions. Pat spent most of her adult life working as a K-12 art instructor in a small town on Colorado’s eastern plains.
Although Pat has been passionate about the art of printmaking throughout her life, only in recent years has she had the opportunity to focus all her energy on this art form. Her prints have won awards at arts festivals and juried competitions in Boston, Mass.; Castle Rock, Colo.; Brea, Calif.; and St. Louis.
About Reduction-Block Printing
Reduction-block printing is one of the oldest graphic art forms. Woodblock prints by Chinese and Japanese masters are known from the second century. Whereas a series of blocks are used in Japanese block printing, a single block is used in reduction-block printing.
In block printing as in any art form, the process begins with conceptualization of an image. The image is then transferred onto the flat surface of a block, and the regions of color that form the image are delineated.
Typically, the colors that are lightest in value are printed first onto handmade Japanese paper. Ink is applied to the flat surface of the block, which then is pressed onto paper. The back of the paper is repeatedly rubbed with a wooden tool, called a baren, to ensure the ink’s transfer to the paper; the
area of the block that printed the initial color is then carved away with hand tools. The resulting carved surface is lower than the remaining flat surface and will not print again—thus the term “reduction” printing.
This process is repeated through an intricate series of steps until all colors have been applied and the final image is revealed.
Artist’s Statement
“I am a traditional representational artist, striving to capture through my art the subtle beauty I see in the world around me. As a child of the Midwest, I feel that all my work is tempered and shaped by the plains—the broad, empty country; the sharp play of light and shadow on simple forms; and the beauty of common scenes.
I choose relief-block printmaking as my principal art medium because it forces me to carefully examine my world for color, value and line. In this art form, the number of successively layered impressions of ink is finite due to the physical composition of the print block and the tendency of smaller print surfaces to slip when pressed by hand. For me, these limitations result in a necessary paring away of extraneous effects, leaving what I consider to be the essence of the image.”
—Pat Anderson Brokaw
Painter
Pat Anderson Brokaw grew up in Omaha, Nebraska, received a B.A. in art from Hastings College and then pursued graduate work in art at several institutions. Pat spent most of her adult life working as a K-12 art instructor in a small town on Colorado’s eastern plains.
Although Pat has been passionate about the art of printmaking throughout her life, only in recent years has she had the opportunity to focus all her energy on this art form. Her prints have won awards at arts festivals and juried competitions in Boston, Mass.; Castle Rock, Colo.; Brea, Calif.; and St. Louis.
About Reduction-Block Printing
Reduction-block printing is one of the oldest graphic art forms. Woodblock prints by Chinese and Japanese masters are known from the second century. Whereas a series of blocks are used in Japanese block printing, a single block is used in reduction-block printing.
In block printing as in any art form, the process begins with conceptualization of an image. The image is then transferred onto the flat surface of a block, and the regions of color that form the image are delineated.
Typically, the colors that are lightest in value are printed first onto handmade Japanese paper. Ink is applied to the flat surface of the block, which then is pressed onto paper. The back of the paper is repeatedly rubbed with a wooden tool, called a baren, to ensure the ink’s transfer to the paper; the
area of the block that printed the initial color is then carved away with hand tools. The resulting carved surface is lower than the remaining flat surface and will not print again—thus the term “reduction” printing.
This process is repeated through an intricate series of steps until all colors have been applied and the final image is revealed.
Artist’s Statement
“I am a traditional representational artist, striving to capture through my art the subtle beauty I see in the world around me. As a child of the Midwest, I feel that all my work is tempered and shaped by the plains—the broad, empty country; the sharp play of light and shadow on simple forms; and the beauty of common scenes.
I choose relief-block printmaking as my principal art medium because it forces me to carefully examine my world for color, value and line. In this art form, the number of successively layered impressions of ink is finite due to the physical composition of the print block and the tendency of smaller print surfaces to slip when pressed by hand. For me, these limitations result in a necessary paring away of extraneous effects, leaving what I consider to be the essence of the image.”
—Pat Anderson Brokaw