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Jean Echevarria- Artist Statement
Born in Chicago, I lived most of my adult life in Colorado with stints in Wisconsin, Japan, and Arizona. I studied fine arts at Colorado State University before focusing on linguistics and teaching college level English as a Second Language to students from every corner of the world. I lived in Japan for a bit as part of that career, and that, my work with international students, and international travel, led me to an appreciation of Asian arts and aesthetics, guiding me to my eventual focus on woodcut printmaking.
My main work is reduction woodcuts, in which one piece of wood is used as the print block, layering colors and reducing the wood surface with each color printed. It’s a complex process that requires a lot of planning beforehand, yet it allows me to make many spontaneous decisions as I go. I also press all my work by hand, using a Japanese tool called a barren.
I moved to Vashon Island in 2013, and my fascination with this landscape greatly influences my choice of subject. I also print images of animals, sea life, and conceptual or natural abstractions. I love to show the process I use, and I welcome visitors to the studio I share with my husband Alex, WabiSabi Studios, in the central heart of Vashon Island.
Jean’s WabiSabi Studio is stop #33 on the 2023 VIVA Holiday Art Studio Tour, Dec 2-3 & 9-10, Saturdays and Sundays, from 10 am – 4 pm. For more information on the free, self-guided tour and an interactive map, click here.