Sunny
This pattern is one that grew on me over time.
I love that it’s graphic, with recognizable shapes. It initially looks like a pattern, but is it? Nothing is perfect, or the same from line to line. But that’s also what makes it beautiful.
Of course, it didn’t work like that. Three years ago, I was experimenting with printmaking with margins, I grabbed out this old block to try out a different look. Then left that paper stored away.
Two years later, on a day I was avoiding another creative project and decided to draw on it as a warm up.
I liked the result, but also struggled with the imperfections. The graphic designer in me wanted everything to be perfectly in a grid.
ABOUT THE PRINT
I carved the block more than 8 years ago. I was in my first apartment after graduating college and missed fine art. Graphic design was a fun day job, but doing it for a job didn’t make it feel like a creative outlet.
I started experimenting with block printing as a medium that felt apartment-friendly. When I first used this block it was one of many in the pattern – many shapes, many colors… just too much all around. But there were elements to the shapes that I liked, so I put the blocks in my art cupboard in case inspiration hit someday.
It was very my boyfriend’s aesthetic actually. So I prepared it as a birthday gift for him, ripping the edges and adding a painted background for some texture before framing.
It wasn’t until it was hanging on the wall for a while that I decided I loved it. Now the original Sunny print hangs in my dining room.
And here is the follow up series it inspired.