Martha Cawley…
Received her B.F.A. in Illustration from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia and her M.Ed. in Art Education from Temple University. She has been a resident of Barto, Pennsylvania since 1968. During these years, she has produced woodcut prints, wood and ceramic sculpture as well as designed and sculpted for industry.
Woodcut prints are the oldest form of printmaking. The woodcut is a relief process in which knives and other tools are used to carve a design into the surface of a wooden block. The raised areas that remain after the block has been cut are inked and printed, while the recessed areas that are cut away do not retain ink and will remain blank in the final print. Martha uses a wooden spoon and barren to hand print each piece.
Martha’s woodcut prints combined the patterns and designs that are found in nature with a pleasant quality of humor. She uses the versatile medium of the woodcut to communicate the personality of her subjects, whether it is a bold statement in pine, the fine detailed carved into pearwood, or the delicate tones indigenous to poplar.