Award-winning artist Leon Loughridge is a master of the multi-step reduction process in woodblock art. His latest exhibition features woodblock prints, watercolors and serigraphs of the special places in New Mexico that represent his spiritual roots and personal story.

Using the Japanese printmaking technique of moku hanga, all of his woodblock prints are created by hand, not a printing press. The hand-printing process is simple, yet labor intensive, and achieves its own vibrancy and originality as well as a unique fidelity to the landscapes of New Mexico that inspire him. The artist will be in the gallery demonstrating his print process July 11 – 15.

These familiar locations are a never-ending display of beauty. They are sites where I am continually inspired, where I am familiar with the folds and creases of the land, so much so, that I can mentally step into the landscape and walk those folds while standing at my easel.

As one becomes more and more devout in caring for the landscape and observing its beauty, the ground begins to take on a sacred aspect, becoming a portal or apparition of a state of mind. My artwork from these sites are devotional statements of my encounters with the reality and beauty they offer. — Leon Loughridge