Amy McGregor-Radin
Amy McGregor-Radin received her Bachelor of Arts from Michigan State University, and holds an Master of Business Administration from Boston University. She currently lives in Jaffrey, New Hampshire.
My art comes out of the wide range of emotions that result from my full time work—that of being a mother, wife, and growing woman. Humor, love, anger, joy, pride, worry, frustration, pressure, fear, celebration, appreciation, introspection...the list continues to grow as I learn about myself through the process of making art.
Most recently, I have been creating white-line woodcuts, also known as Provincetown prints. When I go about my travels---daily or otherwise---I am often drawn to a scene, view of the horizon, or particular angle of an object. These are my favorite things to portray in woodcuts, in part, as a way of memorizing them for myself. This unique hand printing method gives me an outlet for expressing my appreciation for the world as I see it.
Over the last several years, I have also been experimenting with a wide range of materials: cut paper, acrylic paints, wood, canvas, found objects, threads, and photographs. With these, I have created a variety of constructions, wooden shadow boxes, prints, and paintings. These pieces often are the result of thoughts, phases, queries, or strong emotional reactions to life. I enjoy striving to express what I see or feel using a wide variety of material and skills I have picked up along the way.
What's a White Line Woodcut?
I create my prints with a technique called "white-line" woodcut or Provincetown print, devised by a group of Provincetown artists in the early 1900's. It differs from traditional woodcuts in that it requires just one block for all the colors. I transfer my design to a pine board and using an X-acto knife or other tool, incise around each shape.
Using watercolors I paint each shape individually, printing that shape onto the paper before moving to the next shape, essentially creating a monoprint. Hand printing an entire image takes 2-6 hours. This white-line technique blends my love for working with wood and playing with color and shapes. There is always an element of surprise to making a print, which is generally a good thing!
