Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/706848
10 WHARF TO WHARF SATURDAY | JULY 23, 2016 SANTA CRUZ SENTINEL I n collaboration with Robin Lerios of York Framing Gallery, this year's Wharf to Wharf poster artist is Bridget Henry. Henry is a printmaker, staff research associate, and lecturer in printmaking at UCSC. For the poster illustration, Henry has created a one-of-a- kind print, pressed from a design that she carved from wood block. Depicting a grand El Niño wave towering over the bay, she juxtaposes powerful water against a subtle, pastel sun-lit sky, with mountain and wharf in the distance. Lerios selects local artists for their uniqueness, and Henry's creative, wood block carving medium and print-making process exemplifies that. "This year I contracted Bridget because I have framed her art for years. I find it incredibly beautiful and a very brave form of art" Lerios says. The grooves from the wood block carving imbues each print with a grain texture, adding a tactile sense, in addition to the visual elements of nature tied into the design. Not only does the piece pay homage to the Wharf to Wharf race and our beautiful coastline, but it is also an homage to The Great Wave Off Kanagawa, by Japanese artist and print maker, Katushika Hokusai. "I really enjoy working with the wood and ink" says Henry. "There is an element of surprise in the process and print. I'm also interested in the history of print making. It has long been a part of communicating ideas, I love the practice and graphic nature of it. I'm interested in letting the accidental things happen, that show it is made by hand." Henry's time intensive art form is usually carved from one block of wood. It is then inked for each different color, creating layers of ink. Once the process is complete, it is run through a press and pulled by hand. Naturally sparkling mineral, Mica, has been added to the light blue aspects of her original prints, creating a glimmering effect of sunlight on water. The Wharf to Wharf poster is a high quality rendition of the prints, with the historical running shoes added within the frame, and race participants. Framed pieces and posters will be offered at York Faming Gallery's booth at the finish line, along with Henry on hand to sign posters. They also can be ordered and shipped straight from the gallery, and are already selling fast, says gallery owner, Lerios. 22 original, hand pulled prints are being offered as limited editions at York Framing Gallery, as well as mugs. You can view Bridget's work at www.bridgetmaryhenry.com and www.yorkframinggallery.com. Printmaker Bridget Henry Illustrates Wharf to Wharf by Susan Webb Photo credit: Char Colton Photo credit: Robin Lerios