Artist’s Statement:
Diana Tonnessen
Printmaking/Block Printing
I am a Gainesville, Florida-based artist and printmaker whose limited-edition linoleum block prints combine whimsical compositions, luminous colors and the rustic texture of the linocut to explore the Sunshine State’s rich cultural history as one of America’s favorite vacation destinations.
My artwork is inspired by the Florida I remember as a child, when our family made the three-day trek on U.S. Highway 441 and U.S. Highway 301 from our home in New Jersey to my mother’s Central Florida hometown of Bushnell, Fla.
I now live just a mile west of U.S. Highway 441 in Gainesville, where roadside relics of that era can still be found. One of them, the Florida Motel (1935-2018), was where I began my artistic explorations of Florida’s wild and wacky tourism and travel industry.
Are we there yet?
Medium and Materials
My limited-edition linoleum block prints are made entirely by hand using the centuries-old process of relief block printing. I use hand-held gouges and knives to carve an original design into linoleum or a block of wood. To make a print, I apply ink to the block with a hand-held brayer, place a sheet of paper on the block, and pass the block and paper through a manually operated etching press. All my linocuts are made with archival inks and paper and printed on a hand-cranked etching press. Although the prints in an edition may look alike, each one has slight variations in it that make it unique, and each signed and numbered print in an edition is considered an original work of art.
Email: floridianastudios@gmail.com
Diana Tonnessen
Printmaking/Block Printing
I am a Gainesville, Florida-based artist and printmaker whose limited-edition linoleum block prints combine whimsical compositions, luminous colors and the rustic texture of the linocut to explore the Sunshine State’s rich cultural history as one of America’s favorite vacation destinations.
My artwork is inspired by the Florida I remember as a child, when our family made the three-day trek on U.S. Highway 441 and U.S. Highway 301 from our home in New Jersey to my mother’s Central Florida hometown of Bushnell, Fla.
I now live just a mile west of U.S. Highway 441 in Gainesville, where roadside relics of that era can still be found. One of them, the Florida Motel (1935-2018), was where I began my artistic explorations of Florida’s wild and wacky tourism and travel industry.
Are we there yet?
Medium and Materials
My limited-edition linoleum block prints are made entirely by hand using the centuries-old process of relief block printing. I use hand-held gouges and knives to carve an original design into linoleum or a block of wood. To make a print, I apply ink to the block with a hand-held brayer, place a sheet of paper on the block, and pass the block and paper through a manually operated etching press. All my linocuts are made with archival inks and paper and printed on a hand-cranked etching press. Although the prints in an edition may look alike, each one has slight variations in it that make it unique, and each signed and numbered print in an edition is considered an original work of art.
Email: floridianastudios@gmail.com
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