Anne E.G. Nydam, Needham artist and author, has an exhibition of relief block prints on display at the Wellesley Library main branch lobby gallery for the month of December. The show, “Around the World,” features 25 block prints inspired by locations in eight countries and ten states.
Buildings, plants and animals, landscapes, and images of small details celebrate everything from iconic landmarks such as the Eiffel tower to a favorite paper birch tree on Central Avenue. Nydam explains, “Everywhere I go, I keep my eyes open for beautiful scenes and interesting things. When I’m close to home or in ‘ordinary’ places, I try to find the beauty that might be overlooked because of familiarity, and when I’m in more popularly acclaimed places, I try to look for unique details or less common perspectives.”
For these pieces Nydam uses photographs for inspiration and guidance, sketches designs on paper, and then carves them into rubber blocks or, less often, wood blocks. Everything that is to remain white must be cut away, while everything that is to be colored must be left uncarved. She then rolls the block with ink, and presses paper onto it. For each print, she rolls fresh ink onto the block and presses down a clean sheet of paper. All her editions are limited, and every impression in the edition is individually hand-printed.
The pieces on display at the Wellesley Library are both personal records of Nydam’s own treasured travels and universal celebrations of iconic places around the world.
Nydam’s work is on view now through December 31. For more information, contact the Wellesley Free Library (781-235-1610). To see more of Nydam’s work, visit nydamprints.com.
