The windows in my studio look out over a small pond. Trees border it, birds visit the feeders near the pond's edge, and occasionally a great blue heron will stalk majestically by. At certain times of the day, sunlight is reflected in a shimmering lozenge of light on my walls or ceiling, and always the presence of water is felt. The natural world is very much a part of what inspires my work, and having it close at hand is a wonderful feature of this space.

The room wasn't always a studio. When we bought our house it was an unfinished garage, and only after we remodeled an adjacent part of the basement to make an extra bedroom did it begin its transformation. The walls were finished, a new concrete floor poured and painted, and I commandeered the space for my growing art practice, which at the time centered on drawing and watercolor. Shelves appeared and began filling with art books, watercolor manuals, tubes of paint and jars sprouting brushes. Then everything changed again.

I returned to school to finish my long-postponed degree, and one of the first classes I signed up for was Printmaking 101. By the time the semester ended, I was totally hooked -- addicted to the smell of ink and loving the gorgeous marks I could achieve with the help of a press. Printmaking was what I wanted to do from that point forward. After much rearranging -- plus scrimping, saving and a few generous gifts from family and friends -- I was eventually able to add a Takach press to my studio, and for more than 10 years now have done my printing at home. Although it's not perfect (of course there could always be more windows, more bookshelves, more room!) my basement studio has grown into a space well-suited for creating, dreaming, testing the limits of my imagination.

Like most printmakers, I'm intrigued with process, and have experimented with lots of different ways of making prints. I love the wonderful textures of collagraphs, and often combine collagraph with monotype or linoleum block relief prints. And I recently set up an etching tank and did my first copper-plate etching at home. There's no end of new ideas to explore; the limiting factor is the finite amount of time available!

To see some of my other work, please visit my website:
www.kpiercefield.com

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