The viewer of Julie Goldstein's wood block prints first notices her subject matter: strong, confident, grounded women— the kind of quiet confidence that attracts. Often autobiographical, much of her art draws inspiration from the natural environment, the sea and surf culture.
Exhibited internationally, Goldstein's new works will debut in the Lowcountry, in the show, For You, I Adore at Plum Elements on Lower King Street.
The show opens Friday, May 2 and runs through July 6.
Many of her images are surfers, as she herself is a year-round surfer off Montauk. While travelling it's not uncommon for Goldstein to have a block of pine wood in her bag, so she can sketch what she sees. On paper and fabric, she mixes lithographic and woodcut printmaking techniques with sewing, embroidery, and other traditional “women’s arts”— the result is a contemporary, hybrid-style. The energy of Goldstein's images and large format literally stopped Plum Elements' owner, Andrea Schenck in the street. Schenck knew, at first glance, she wanted Goldstein's work to be included in what would become Plum Elements. It's thrilling to have a show for Julie, said Schenck, since her work has been part of Plum's offerings, since opening almost two years ago.
The large format barely holds the obvious energy required in her technique and most of the subject matter. Explaining her process, Goldstein said, "I practice a physically intensive form of woodblock printing closely related to the ancient Japanese techniques. I load my woodcuts with oil-based inks and use a wooden spoon to hand burnish the print substrate over the plate." Typically, she prints on rice or heavy cotton rag papers in editions of three. For this show, images are on paper, fabric, wood, and canvas created with multiple techniques including woodblock printmaking, drawing, and painting. The large scale, hand burnished, woodcut prints are a sharp contrast to the found fabrics and traditional sewing techniques that she combines in her work.
05/02/2008 - 07/06/2008
