Featured Artist

Carolyn Kimball
Carolyn Kimball is a Kentucky girl, a printmaker, painter, knitter, gardener and kitchen mess-maker who currently lives in Austin, Texas.  She creates earthy and ephemeral landscapes that focus on the intersection of history, memory and place.  Carolyn graduated with a BFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art in 2003 and a MA in printmaking from the University of Louisville in 2008.  She currently runs the studio of the Women Printmakers of Austin , PRINT!subscription 2010 and Kimball Prints.

Roulette Farm, etching, aquatint, a la poupee, 12"x17," Carolyn KImball, 2008

Many of your prints seem to "tell stories."  Do you find there to be anything particularly effective or challenging about printing as for a medium to illustrate stories or history?
I'm a huge history buff and I'm especially fascinated by the intersection of history and landscape; all the memories and emotions we pour into our associations with a certain place.  Memory and history are both very ephemeral and so is the land, they're all constantly changing with the passage of time or perspective. There's something I find really fitting in using an old technique like etching to speak about history.  When you make an etching aquatint, you are essentially capturing dust ( ground tree sap) that's floated down on an etching plate. Fixing something as ephemeral as dust in place to make an image is not unlike capturing something fleeting like a memory. Also, I just love how beautiful and delicate the medium is.

Sunken Road, etching, aquatint, a la poupee, 13.5"x17.5," Carolyn Kimball, 2008

Your print subscription makes artwork affordable for almost anyone--only $10 a month!  Please share a bit about the history and idea behind "subscription art."
The idea for the print subscription started with a friend who used to run a letterpress shop and was selling 'shares' in his business in the form of art. When I discussed the idea with other artist friends, I found out that other contemporary artists and even a few Old Masters had done the same thing! I thought it was a great idea because most people I know interested in art, but it's a really daunting prospect to throw down a large sum of money all at once on piece. What if you change your mind or decorate in a few years?  Since you receive so many prints, if there's one print you don't like as much, it's not a big deal since you didn't spend a ton of money and a new one will be on the way soon. I wanted to make my art accessible and it's always fun to get a package in the mail! It's also a great stash to have on hand for last minute gifts.  I've expanded the subscription for 2011 to included a couple of different subscription options: http://printsubscription2011.wordpress.com/

Taybeh, etching & aquatint with watercolor, 3"x4," Carolyn Kimball, 2010

Do you find that the variations in character created by different types of prints {monotype, etching, gelatin, etc} conducive to specific themes or subject matter?
Absolutely! I find etchings are perfect for works that deal with delicate, fleeting topics like memory or history. Simple graphic images are great for woodcuts and simple rustic line drawings typically end up as monotypes.  

Galilee, watercolor, 5"x7", Carolyn Kimball, 2009

Sincere thanks to Carolyn for sharing her beautiful landscape prints!


What do you think of Carolyn's earthy, ephemeral images?