Artist: Jace Laakso

Medium: Reduction relieve linocut

Size: 11″ x 14″

Jace Laakso grew up in rural New England, the son of immigrant parents. Having contracted polio as an infant, I was hospitalized and spent a great deal of time looking at my surroundings. This gave me an appreciation of a valuable lesson I learned in art school: seeing instead of looking. I currently work in relief printmaking utilizing a process called reduction relief. This involves using a single linoleum block to carve away a layer at a time as each successive color ink is applied until finally at the last color, most of the block surface has disappeared. Picasso, who most likely invented this process, called it “Suicide Printing” as there is almost no ability to correct any mistakes.

My work explores landscapes and architectural elements paying attention to relationships between form, shadow, light and negative space, and how atmosphere affects a viewer’s perceptions. I am currently working in abstract mono relief prints and limited editions