Evening

Gordon Louis Mortensen

Mortensen found the inspiration for his woodcut Evening southeast of Minneapolis. In this tranquil scene, a pond dazzles the viewer with colorful reflections of golden grasses and the pastel-hued sky of dusk. Mortensen has mastered the technique of layering colors to provide depth, delicacy, shadow and light.

Gordon Mortensen commented on the process he uses:

"Only one woodblock is used. On it an image is drawn in India ink. Before the first color is printed, any areas that are to remain unprinted (white or the color of the paper) are cut away from the surface of the block. Then an oil base ink is used to print the first color on all of the sheets of paper that are to be used for the edition and proofs. After the first printing the block is again cut, removing any surface of the block that is to remain the first color in the finished print. After each subsequent color is printed, the block is cut, the process continues until the print is finished and most of the surface of the block is cut away."