Annalise Gratovich
The Mother, from Carrying Things From Home, 2019, Woodcut with hand dyed chine collé, 72 x 41"
Describe your artistic style in three words.
Universal, Timely, Symbolic
What's inspiring you right now?
The creativity and resilience of people I admire. Small moments of beauty. Stillness and rest, slow growth. Comet Neowise. A gorgeous, turquoise, 100 year old cast iron and steel manual printing press that's moving into my studio soon.
What do you do when you're feeling uninspired?
I'm usually juggling several projects and ideas at a time so switching back and forth helps create a spark. Printmaking is very process-oriented so if I'm not feeling satisfied creatively I'll focus on the process and preparation and stay in work mode. I also practice actively letting my mind rest when I leave the studio and sink into physical activity: long walks or bike rides. I let ideas filter through this way quite often.
Tell us something unique about your process.
I create my prints by hand from start to finish, carving wood, etching metal, dyeing paper, and using manual printing presses to create multiple originals.
What advice do you have for other artists?
A friend and mentor told me this 15 years ago: "The next piece is always the most important." It's been some of the greatest and most frequently thought of advice in my studio practice and helps me resolve, finish, and embrace my work and keep moving forward. I can't say it better than that so I'll pass it along...
The Undertaker, from Carrying Things From Home, 2019, Woodcut with hand dyed chine collé, 72 x 41"
The Musician, from Carrying Things From Home, 2017, Woodcut with hand dyed chine collé, 72 x 41"
Tell Me When It Rains; 2019; three plate etching on kozo chine collé; 24 x 16"
To Catch and To Hold, Shining (I & II), 2020, Etching collage with graphite on hand dyed paper, copper tacks, twine, 7.75 x 5.75"
Beheld, 2020, Etching on hand dyed paper collage, 9 x 6"
Loved To Death III, 2018, Etching on hand dyed paper with embroidery, collaboration with Polly Morwood, 19.25 x 15"
Loved To Death II, 2018, Etching on hand dyed paper with embroidery, collaboration with Polly Morwood, 19.25 x 15"
I'm a print-centric artist whose work engages themes of personhood and identity at the intersection of longing and belonging. My figurative work draws upon personal and cultural identity and ancestral stories, alluding to a time and place that is far away, that cannot be returned to, but is always there.