Name/Title
Storm Over Nova Scotia | Pauline Winchestre Inman | Wood Engraving | 1956Description
Artist: Pauline Inman
Medium: Woodblock engraving
Circa: 1956
Old Accession Number: 1842
Description:
Signed bottom right. 1st State. 1 of 2 copies.
Top:
Storm Over Nova Scotia, First Block, 1956
Wood Engraving
Bottom:
Storm Over Nova Scotia, Second Block, 1956
Wood Engraving
In Case:
Storm Over Nova Scotia, 1956
Wood Engraving Block
These two examples show the iterative process of relief printmaking. While viewers often see the final version of a print, printmakers can rework and edit their initial compositions many times before they settle on a final print. For example, in Storm Over Nova Scotia, Inman initially wanted to depict the wooden clapboard details of the homes along the coast. However, after printing this version and reflecting on the composition, Inman chose to go back into the woodblock and remove this detail. Each version of this block produces a different effect. While the first block conveyed a sense of darkness of the oncoming storm, the second block reflects a dichotomy that is often present in summer thunderstorms–pounding rain from shadowy clouds, with bright sunlight appearing in the distance.
Because wood engraving is a relief printmaking technique, once an artist removes detail from the woodblock, they cannot add it back in. Wood engravings are made by the graver carving into the woodblock’s surface. The remaining raised surfaces of the woodblock transfer the image by inking and printing. The Storm Over Nova Scotia woodblock is displayed in the case below.