Artist's Statement

The inspiration for my artwork came from pictures that I took while traveling in Singapore, China and New Zealand. Each country’s culture, symbols and the beautiful plants and animals in their environments inspired me.  I focused on nature as the main subject in my artwork because I wanted the viewers of my work to remember how beautiful and precious nature is. I also wanted the viewers to realize that the things they do and the choices they make in their lives effect the environment in which they live in. We are in a pivotal point in time in which we need to make good decisions concerning our environment and strive to preserve the natural beauty of our planet.

I decided to focus in printmaking because it was the area in art that I knew the least about. I chose to work with linoleum because I enjoy being able to carve my linoleum plate at home and I don’t have to use harsh chemicals to transfer my image onto the plate. I enjoy the process of carving because it is both therapeutic and meditative. It is easy to get into a rhythm when carving linoleum, especially while listening to music. I use the repeating patterns that I observe in nature, to create movement in my artwork. 

            I used water-soluble ink to print with so that I did not have to use chemicals to clean up. I printed my linocuts on rice paper because of its transparent quality and it is more eco-friendly than printing on paper that is made entirely from trees.

            During the process of making art for my show I started to miss working with colors so I decided to experiment with incorporating it into some of my pieces. I used the reductive printing technique, which was also used by Picasso, in which I only use one piece of linoleum to print the multiple layers of color. I chose to use this process because it is less wasteful than using a separate linoleum plate for each color that I print.  With my artwork I try to use materials that have the least negative impact on the environment and I try to inspire the viewers of my work to appreciate the environment as much as I do. 

-Monica Miller