Fog, Carmel Point

Gordon Louis Mortensen

Expertly capturing the unusual contrast of bright spring flowers against ocean fog, Gordon Mortensen highlights one of the most stunning times on the West Coast: early spring. A swath of California poppies runs up against bouquets of ice plants in bloom, their dahlia-like faces crowding the dunes of Carmel Beach. The landscape beyond is obscured by a veil of fog - a familiar sight at any time of day in springtime along the shoreline - making the pale sand appear to melt into the treeline.

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."