Fleisher From a Distance: Relief Printing from Wood

The terms woodcut and wood engraving are commonly used to describe any image printed from wood, but they’re not the same thing. Join visual artist and printmaker Rebecca Gilbert as she discusses the well-defined differences and similarities between the two processes. She will give a short talk about the history, materials, and techniques that go into making woodcuts and wood engravings. Then she will share some of her own work made using these two distinct processes.

Rebecca Gilbert is a Philadelphia-based artist whose work exemplifies a dedication to traditional printmaking processes, while her innovation in executing these processes in combination with cut paper and assemblage push the boundaries of what a print can be. Her highly detailed work allows her to explore our perceptions of both space and beauty. It also recognizes her very human, primal instincts.
Rebecca currently serves on the board of The Wood Engravers’ Network and is represented by The Print Center Gallery Store. She lives and works in South Philadelphia and teaches at The University of the Arts, Maryland Institute College of Art, and Fleisher Art Memorial. Her prints are in numerous public and private collections, and have been exhibited regionally, including at the Center for Emerging Visual Artists; nationally, including at the International Print Center New York; and abroad, including at the Palacio Huerto Ruano, Lorca, Spain.

Among Rebecca’s most recent awards are an Independence Foundation Fellowship and a Winterthur Artist/Maker Fellowship. These supported the research and creation of her most recent body of work, Visions of Plenty: Observation, Perception, Illusion, and Reverie. Inspired by historic moveable book structures and optical devices, the work invites viewers to explore optics, perception, and the act of seeing by transforming intricately detailed prints into dimensional works on paper.

You can view more of Rebecca Gilbert’s work at rebeccaprint.com or follow her on instagram @rebecca_print.

This demonstration is open to the public with a suggested donation of $10 but is limited to maximum number of 100 participants. Advanced registration is required. The tour will be hosted through Zoom, which can be accessed on desktop and laptop computers, as well as mobile devices. We highly recommend downloading the Zoom app to your device in advance. You will receive a URL to join the demonstration after you complete the registration process.