Bridget Henry

Artist's Statement

It's been said, "Once a Catholic, always a Catholic." Although this may be true for some, it is true for me only in the composition of my woodcuts.  My early years were spent staring at  images of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.  Single iconographic figures I did not know.  I have transferred the power of that religious pedestal over to the people and actions of my everyday life. I feel that it is important to imbue meaning, power, and symbolism into the mundane,  Thereby transferring a potentially negative event into a story.  There is a plot; there is a lesson, and there is significance to life.  Almost all of my images are influenced by chaos, death, rhythmg, color, variety, and balance that can be found in nature.  Some prints originate from the dreams that continue to haunt me throughout the day.  Like rooms in houses I long to live in, or aches in my body that remind me of the river I slept in the night before.  Golden caged birds and flaming brides are figures that have arisen out of poetry and onto my paper.  Carving out the curving lines from the smooth piece of Shina plywood has such a seductive sound and feel to it.  This is one of the aspects of woodcut that keeps me coming back for more.  I also love the process of mixing and blending sticky pigment drenched inks into the perfect color, and then rolling it over the carved board.  The durable, yet seemingly fragile paper receives the inked impression like a second skin creating one of a limited edition of unique and lovingly made prints.

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