I practice an art of visual storytelling, carving blocks of linoleum for printmaking, and scrubbing ink and watercolor into sketch journals. My linocuts currently spotlight the beauty of Delaware’s public lands, historical interest, and local lore. My sketch journals range more widely, often depicting nature, but more typically engaging with the granular stories of local people. I draw inspiration from my years as a newsroom artist, and my roots in the Brandywine Valley.
Linocut printmaking
Exploratory journaling
People journals
Sketchbook
Indiana outtake sketch #3: Big shout out to Southern Indiana-based artist Michele Pollock. I was quickly impressed in my first meeting with my co-artist-in-residence and housemate. She showed me sketches she had done of colorful rocks she found on the beaches. The lines, colors and textures were beautiful. Over two weeks I watched her work her fascinating artistic alchemy of reference photos, onsite sketches, Gelli printing, collage, and sewing. At the kitchen table, she listened to my doubts about the direction of my art and offered truly inspired ideas about where I can take this. I captured this sketch of her while she was embroidering.
michelepollock.com/
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Indiana outtake sketch #2: One curious thing that quickly struck me about Indiana Dunes was its industrial context. The Port of Indiana and U.S. Steel plant man-spread across the center of the park, cleaving it in half. The east end is punctuated by this power station that sits where the huge, beloved, Hoosier Slide dune once dominated the beaches. The Ball Brothers discovered that its clean iron-rich sands could be transformed into beautiful blue glass. By the 1920 the dune, which stood taller than this smoke stack had been entirely excavated, shipped, and melted into Ball jars. I sketched this on my first trip to Mount Baldy beach but it felt more negative than I wanted.
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My husband's family was from the glass manufacturing region in eastern IN. The natural gas in the region provided the fuel, while the sand provided a major resource. Indiana Glass, Ball Glass, and Kerr were all major employers. My husband had his first chemistry job at the Indiana when he was in high school. Your narratives have been wonderful as well as the drawings.
Indiana outtake sketch #1: Indiana Dunes NP hosted me in an airy 3 bedroom mid-century house, clad in local limestone. My base of operations hugged an edge of the park, 4 minutes from the Visitors Center. It provided the perfect base of operations. I am very grateful for the hospitality, kindness, and respect for my endeavors, shown by the park staff.
So I would have felt quite rude to post this sketch on my first day. When I first walked into the house I was greeted by this little creature on the kitchen floor. It filled the house with and elephant's worth of stank. But I am fond of the sketch. Shout out to Febreze.
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It’s always amazing how such a tiny animal can smell up such a large space. 
On my way home now. The Wieboldt-Rostone House was one of my last drawings in Indiana. It was constructed as part of the Homes of Tomorrow architectural exhibition for the 1933 Chicago Worlds Fair and was moved to Indiana Dunes a few years later. The builder, Rostone Inc., promoted it as never needing repairs. The exterior failed in ten years and was replaced in the 1950s.
Strong winds yanked at my paper as I drew while respectable white caps and waves lined the lake. I was surprised when I arrived in Indiana Dunes to learn that there are strong rip currents here. As winds push lake water south, the resulting narrow outflow channels can drag a swimmer out as easily as they can at the Jersey Shore. Its a big lake after all. You could drop nine Delawares into this tub.
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It was such a pleasure to work alongside you these last two weeks!
Safe travels!
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