Here’s some art a friend put me on to after she saw it at a gallery in South Carolina. I love it when people send me new artists! Aaron Baldwin lives in McClellanville, SC, and seems to be primarily a painter, although he made a number of linoleum block prints for the recent show. The show, entitled “Woods and Creek,” focussed on the natural areas surrounding McClellanville, showing some landscapes as well as some animals, and a few boats and other manmade things. My friend sent me the link to a short video “virtual opening” of the show, and I liked what I saw. Unfortunately, my great frustration is that I couldn’t find any other decent pictures of Baldwin’s block prints, so the images I have for you today are unfortunately a bit dark and blurry, being screen shots from the video. First is my favorite, presumably “the creek.” I love the interplay of trunks and branches and water, each with their patterns of black and white. It gives a wonderful impression of dappled light. Next up is a wood duck, portrayed in a style inspired by vintage postage stamps. The arrangement of borders and filler designs is attractive, and I like the whimsical splash at the bottom. The shading of the background behind the duck is interesting, as well.
And finally I have a view of “the woods,” again showing a very nice array of different textures. The pattern of straight vertical lines that makes up the trunks in the distance is so amazing, because it looks so unstudied and imprecise, yet it works exactly right to look just as it should. My favorite part is the leaves and twigs against the sky, though.
I’m sorry not to be able to see these pieces in person - or at least in better reproductions - but I still enjoy seeing a block print artist at work today. If you want to see the “virtual opening” and more of Baldwin's show, go ahead and watch the video yourself (link below).
[Pictures: Three linoleum block prints by Aaron Baldwin, c 2020 (Images from McClellanville Arts Council).]
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