Friday, August 15, 2014

Jean Shannon Makes Colorful Japanese Style Woodblock Prints


Printmaker Jean Shannon and her husband, potter Lee Love, have been participating in LoLa from the beginning. “My husband Lee Love and I were among the first dozen people who organized the first crawl, and we have joined every year since,” she says.

Jean's colorful Japanese-style prints and drawings feature playful and cheerful imagery and reflect the aesthetic influence of her ten years living in Japan. She works in woodblock, stencil and screen printing.



What inspires/informs your art?
I saw my first Japanese woodblock prints when I was five years old. They were Hiroshige woodblock prints given by Frank Lloyd Wright to the Unitarian Society of Madison when the building he designed for them was completed. It's a lasting memory, and I bet they're still there!



When I lived in Japan, I went to the monthly flea market looking for old folk toys, kimonos, and ceramics. I'm interested in Asian art and iconography in general.


Where will you be showing for LoLa?
At our air-conditioned home!  3223 36th Avenue South — two blocks from Merlin's and White Castle on 36th Avenue.


What do you like about Lola? Why did you join?
I like meeting other artists and having an activity that brings my neighbors over "to see what we've been up to."


Are you planning to do anything special for Lola?
Sure!  We have a raffle for a print and a piece of Lee's functional pottery.  Also, we serve wine, lemonade, and iced tea, along with sweet treats made by Sue, our kind neighbor who loves to bake!

You can see other works by Jean on her blog, Jean Prints.

Look for our feature on Jean's husband, Lee Love, coming up soon!





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