I am extremely excited to welcome Bryan Nash Gill and to announce that we are offering his work at Ashes & Milk. As a lover of natural textures and literal translations of beauty, I am completely embraced by the above print. Through relief printing and a laborious rubbing technique Byran created the above piece Hemlock 82 (Bryan literally scratched his fingernails over every surface of the tree). At the grand size of 52″ long x 38.5″ wide the actual diameter, texture and pattern of this tree section is gorgeously translated onto paper.
Living next to an old mill, Bryan is able to procure beautiful specimens to his studio. The above image shows Bryan preparing the surface of a Hemlock tree cross section into a print block.
Ink is rolled out and a piece of handcrafted washi paper is placed over the print block. Pressing little by little with his fingertips, Bryan imprints the texture of the wood on the surface of the paper. I love the idea that Bryan had to literally touch each tree-growth-ring in order to deposit its mark.
When meeting and writing about the artists whose work we represent on Ashes & Milk I enjoy the opportunity to learn new things and to engage in a sort of personal self reflection. In respect of Bryan Nash Gill, I am especially pleased to say how much his prints reminds me of a collection of my own, which I will share with you one day in detail. For now here is a peek.
I also like to compare similar themes running through some of my favorite pieces of artwork and the artists who create them. Bryan’s work makes me think of the science of dendrochronology, as well as this etching by Claudi Casanova and Kia Neill’s Graphite Drawings.
Bryan Nash Gill created Hemlock 82 exclusively for Ashes & Milk.
[ You can see more here. ]
