Artist Statement
The rules of printmaking have been defined by the mediumâ??s masters and the limitations of its tools. Helen Gotlib pushes the boundaries of printmaking in terms of scale, presentation and process, proving that there are no rules, only spaces within which to innovate. Gotlib uses a small press to make uncommonly large prints, raw commercial materials to render images with the care and patience of a master craftsperson and presents it in a way that brings her work out of the 1600s and into todayâ??s white wall art spaces. Gotlibâ??s unorthodox approach to a traditional medium is balanced by adhering closely to her subject. Mystified by the gradual changes in terrain and flora that occur across seasons and agricultural zones she is inspired by interactions with nature that occur during her frequent travels and daily adventures in the Michigan woods. She patiently and unvaryingly transfers her impressions of these encounters on to the blocks and plates that add up to the contemporary print based work she produces
