Holly Berry

Artist’s Statement

Pollinator Paisley is a carved-relief adaptation of a block print I made with the same title. I wanted to further explore my original image in three dimensions by carving the design directly into wood as its final resolution. When making a block print, the concern is with the surface area only. Ink is rolled onto it and an impression is transferred to paper, resulting in a two-dimensional representation of the surface area of the carved block. The negative areas—those cut away—are not exposed.

I was challenged by carving the design into wood, as I found the process of carving with three dimensions in mind more organic, exploratory, and transparent. Each mark is visible and thus must have a purpose to support the finished piece. It is a direct way of working—all of the marks made capture and reveal the process.