Announcement    My woodcuts have been inspired by a lifelong study and far too many years of graduate research in the literature of the English Renaissance. Several months ago, I decided to build a press from scratch and as a way to use the press that I built, I started at first by making very crude woodcuts. At first, I did not really know what I was doing, but, emerging out of my love for early modern woodcuts, I modernized the process somewhat by first designing images digitally that I subsequently use older methods to transfer onto and carve into wood to create a hand carved woodblock that I could then hand-press with the press I had built. Many of my early woodcuts are copies of famous and not so famous Renaissance art and woodcuts in a process I half-jokingly refer to as dedigitizing the archives.

A woodcut is a very old art form, and one that has never received the recognition as an art form that I think it deserves. You begin by designing an image, transfer that image to a wood block, carve what you want to be the white space from the block, ink the remaining raised wood, and press it to a sheet of paper. The result of printing from woodblock is an image that is reversed from the one you have carved into the wood. If you would like to see more about my process please visit the instructional so you can make your own I have posted to my personal website, www.senseshaper.com.

Four of my state woodcuts were conceived as a Christmas gift for my wife of the four states we had lived in either separately or together (Illinois, Virginia, Ohio, and Texas). When I gave them to her, she loved them and posted them to Facebook and I was soon inundated with friends and friends of friends who either wanted to purchase ones that I had already made or requesting that I carve other states. As a result, I decided to try my hand at Etsy to allow my friends to order prints of their choice. Since that time, I have decided to open up sales to a broader audience and have continued to carve states as they are requested or as the mood strikes me.

If you would like to stay updated on my woodcuts as I design and produce them, please feel free to follow me on Twitter (@senseshaper) or like my page on Facebook (www.facebook.com/senseshaper).

-These prints are NOT just computer printouts. I hand press, date and sign each print directly from the woodblock I have carved by hand.

-The original images are carved into wood just as they would have been hundreds of years ago. I do, however, make my initial designs in Photoshop before copying them to wood and carving those images by hand. While I do not sell the original blocks, each print is directly pressed to the original hand carved block.

-These are woodcuts and are NOT linocuts. Many similar prints you can find on Etsy have either been printed from a computer, or, where hand-carved, have been carved into linoleum rather than wood. I prefer the flaws and the need to fight against and work with the original grain of the wood during the carving process. To me, linocuts produce interesting images, but in my opinion the process produces images that are far too neat and tidy. I prefer the unique look of the woodcut as well as the history of that process behind it.

-As a result, I like to leave stray lines on my woodcuts that speak to their origins from wood rather than printed from a computer or from linoleum. While early moderns would see this as a flaw, I appreciate the flaws that wood leaves behind, creating a distinct look that cannot be captured either digitally or, in my opinion, in linoleum. While I may try to make a few linocuts in the future, I enjoy the flaws that can only be replicated by woodblocks. If you like my woodcuts but do not like these stray lines, let me know, and I may agree to recarve them without the stray lines.

-Because of the nature of my process, each print is distinct and original, and while printed from the same block of wood, the inking process makes for a unique print each time I remove it from the press.

-Because my prints are NOT simply computer print outs but are made by hand in a mechanical process that dates back centuries, those variations also introduce its own problems. Each print will need to be cut and centered in the mating and framing process. I do try to center the print as best I can, but it is important to note that each print has variations in either ink coverage or in centering that works best with subsequent mating and framing. (At this time I do not sell either mats or frames, though you can see several examples of matted and framed prints for each listing.)

-Each print will be hand signed and dated by me a day or two after you purchase a print. I do not mass print my woodcuts, and instead print them on demand in the order in which people purchase them.

-If you would like a woodcut of something you do not see already listed (a state for example) feel free to message me, and I will design and carve a woodcut for that state. This process might take some time, but I intend to produce at least one woodcut per state eventually. Contacting me and promising one guaranteed purchase will just ensure that your state reaches the top of the rotation.

-Thank you for looking, and I hope that you enjoy my work! Message me if you have any requests, questions, or concerns.