JILL MOSER

In Jill Moser’s new series of twenty prints, Crossings, she expands on the themes from her previous woodcut monoprint series, In Play. By varying the scale and the palette in this new series, Moser creates bold layers of color, filling a larger size format with ribbon-like forms reaching from edge to edge. With these prints, we can feel the path of the artist’s hand, establishing the arcs of color. Each unique print in the series is printed from cut-out wood shapes rolled up with different groups of colors and then reassembled like a puzzle. The layers of color ink deposit a substantial physicality to the surface of the print, adding to its presence on the wall.

As the curving bands of color vary from thick to narrow, a sense of perspectival space is achieved. Looking from print to print, the viewer is invited to explore the shape and the unique palette for each individual print. Yellows and blues, alongside reds and greens, or combinations of the two, draw the viewer inside. Within this larger square composition, the curving arcs hug the edges of the sheet. By tapering the curves, the artist suggests a biomorphic association, reminding one of the curve of the human form, or the leaves of a plant in a heliotropic pull. In addition, the weight of the substantial handmade paper creates a sculptural presence. As the wood grain of the blocks enhances each area, the color arrangements achieve subtle shifts in temperature and boldness, inviting us to keep looking. 

– Andrew Mockler