Lisa Brawn: Birdland

“Lisa Brawn artist statement: I have been experimenting with primarily figurative, portrait genre painted woodcut blocks for over twenty years since being introduced to the medium by printmakers at the Alberta College of Art and Design (now AUArts). I don’t make prints from the woodcuts, but prefer the tactile quality of the blocks themselves.
For the past several years, I have also been extremely interested in amateur ornithology and have carved over a thousand studies of wild birds, working exclusively with reclaimed and upcycled wood. The most recent development in this series is the use of damask, geometric, and katagami patterned backgrounds. These patterns flatten the picture plane and create a visual intersection between the chaotic beauty of nature and the controlled beauty of design.”