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My show, “The Heart’s Memory” will open at FUSION, 708 1st St. NW, Albuquerque 87102 on November 7th, 5-8pm. This show is thanks to a grant from the Albuquerque Urban Enhancement Trust Fund which supported my desire to develop a new body of work, larger in scale. I will be showing woodblock prints, monoprints and lithographs. Each of the woodblock prints were made from the plywood cut-outs, using my jigsaw, and each tells a story, such as the beauty of our New Mexico landscape, or the characters from some of my favorite books. My work would not be complete without an homage to my grandmother and my Polish heritage as seen in her life-sized portrait. The show will run until Nov. 28th.

So happy to have my woodblock print “New Mexico Craftsman” in the collection of Santa Fe Community College! Bob and I installed it today!

In April I attended two different lithography workshops in Oaxaca: La Buena Impresion and Taller Rufino Tamayo. I learned so much with the two experiences and it was wonderful to deepen my drawing skills. Can’t wait to return there to make larger prints next time! Both os these are an edition of 10, available at my studio on Mountain Road.

So inspiring to be with twelve other artists from various parts of the world, all of us practicing various artistic media in Oaxaca and sharing living quarters at Casa Colonial! I did printmaking of course, but it was great to see how each one of us expanded or tried out different techniques inspired by our beautiful surroundings. I had sprained my wrist so I delved into monotypes and took a class at the Taller Rufino Tamayo, where all my fellow were Mexican and my Spanish came in handy. Three very fun weeks, working, playing and creating!

So excited for my show at Hecho a Mano, 129 W Palace Ave, Santa Fe! The show is dedicated to my Polish Grandmother, Babcia. Her cooking was our “language” and our way of communicating since she only spoke Polish. Making traditional Polish food together was a hands-on learning experience that contributed to my eventual love of printmaking. Her colorful tables, her personal style of dress and long hair, her neighborhood designated as “Little Poland” were so interesting to me as a child. Hope you can come see the show!

So exciting to have Big Ink in our city and to get to make large woodblock prints with a group of talented printmakers! I had invited Big Ink over a year ago, and was happy that they agreed to make Albuquerque one of their stops.  They set up the Big Tuna press at Fusion Theater over a weekend in mid April. I had been working for several months on my large woodcut of my grandmother (Babcia in Polish) “Julianna” who had immigrated in 1910 and lived her life in New Britain, CT.  Her neighborhood was known as “little Poland” with such a large Polish community that she never learned English. My woodcut measured 24” x 60” and looked just right when the printed Masa paper came rolling off the press! The whole experience of having Big Ink here was so stimulating for all of us who participated. Thanks to Fusion for hosting us!

Thanks to a grant from the Albuquerque Urban Enhancement Trust Fund, I got to spend all of March, 2024 at a printmaking residency in Berkeley California. What a delight to be amongst other professional printmakers in such an organized, well stocked space at Kala Art Institute. I took my dog Esme and we lived near the residency in a lovely little house surrounded by walking paths and good restaurants.  UC Berkeley was very nearby.  At Kala, I learned how to use a variety of presses including the manual lithography press. Located in the former Heinz 57 factory, Kala has a large membership of local printmakers as well as a robust Artist-in-Residence program. While there, I worked mostly on Pronto plates and the large woodblock of my grandmother that I brought with me.

It has been so wonderful to be making some prints here in Oaxaca! Bob and I are staying near some friends, Ed and John who have also fallen in love with woodcut printing!We all went to Espacio Zapata to work with Cesar Chavez, a master printer. Thanks to all!

I’ll be opening my studio for a Holiday Print Sale on four consecutive Saturdays beginning November 25th and ending December 15th. Prices begin at $20! I’ll have lots of gift items and will be serving hot mulled cider. Stop by my studio on Mountain Road!

So excited to have my piece, Mariachi Story,  exhibited at the National Hispanic Cultural Center Museum at the June 16, 2023 opening from 5-7pm! It will be shown as part of the exhibit “Aliento a Tequila and the Art of Agave” and is part of their permanent collection. The show invites visitors to explore the culture and traditions that gave birth to tequila and will be up from June 16-August 13.

“Mariachi Story” by Julianna Kirwin, mixed media collage, 2018