Alan Baseden

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.

Illustrated essays

**Drawing Blood: Sketches from a Vicious 1886 Feud in my Community**

Linocut printmaking

Linocut print of a woman sitting on an inner tube with a glass in her hand as she floats on a river with fish swimming below her — Brandywine Creek State Park

Linocut print of a man paddling in a canoe in a bald cypress swamp — Trap Pond State Park

Linocut print of a confederate soldier ghost floating over a wall of Fort Delaware at night with a full moon behind him — Fort Delaware State Park

Exploratory journaling

Sketch of an abandoned Studebaker car in Petrified Forest National Park — Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona

Sketch drawn from the passenger seat of a woman driving a car with mountains outside the window — Mojave Desert with Emma, California

Pavilion at Portage Lakefront, Indiana Dunes National Park

Sketch of a leaning water tower with the words Britten USA on it — “Leaning Tower of Texas”

Sketch of a woman in a hooded jacket looking at her phone as she rides on a commuter train — Septa Train, Philadelphia

Sketch of a domed building in St. Louis with the Gateway Arch behind it — Gateway Arch, St. Louis

People journals

Sketch of a young man with big curly hair and a beard sitting on a chair with one leg draped over an arm of the chair

Sketch of a woman in an Easter Bunny outfit lounging on a couch

Sketch of a man dressed in a horse riding outfit sitting in a winged back chair

Illustrated essays

Linocut printmaking

Exploratory journaling

People journals

Hot off the sketchpad