It’s been some time since I filmed Leon Loughridge’s episode of Beyond the Gallery with him – we met up for a day this past March at his studio in Denver, Colorado.
Leon uses three antique letterpresses to create his woodblocks – the oldest is from 1885, and the youngest is from 1934. Here’s an excerpt from his bio:
[quote]Raised in the open ranch land of Northern New Mexico, Leon developed an affinity for the Southwestern landscape. He was greatly influenced by his grandmother’s involvement in Northern New Mexico art circles. Later study at the Colorado Institute of Art along with private study reinforced his abilities. Stationed in Germany while in the army, he was able to travel extensively throughout Europe, visiting museums and maintaining sketching journals. In addition, he studied painting techniques of the old masters for two years, finishing by copying a Franz Hals at the Stuttgart Stattsgalerie Art Museum. Long having an interest in pen and ink, etching took on a special meaning from the museum’s collection of etchings.[/quote]
I was completely unfamliar with reduction style woodblocks until I met Leon, so it was a great education to get to spend the day talking with him and watching him work. Leon is also the first artist with whom I used our GoPro specialty camera to capture his perspective – from the artist’s hands and eyes – while he created his woodblocks.
Make sure to watch Leon’s episode of Beyond the Gallery, if you haven’t already. Leon’s episode of Beyond the Gallery is sponsored by the Great Southwest gallery in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Keep creating!
