Original Vintage American Woodblock Print Kevin Clark Birds 45/80 Limited Edition COA 1999

Kevin Clark “Birds” 1999: Limited Edition Shin Hanga Style Woodblock Print 45/80, Signed, with Certificate of Authenticity

United States (Roseburg, Oregon), 1999

Image and sheet size not measured.

A dense flock of birds fills a tall, narrow image, their dark silhouettes wheeling against white and tapering toward a deep, dark band of wood grain at the base. The birds are cut and inked as a single mass of small shapes, so the flock reads as one moving form. It is printed on washi, signed in pencil, numbered 45/80, and stamped with the artist’s red seal.

The edition is 80 impressions, at the top of Clark’s usual range, and he cut his initials into the block face after printing so no more can be made. The print comes with his signed Certificate of Authenticity from Clark Studio, Lizard Prints Fine Arts Gallery, Roseburg, Oregon. It was printed in 1999, before his designs grew to the larger sizes he is known for today. It is mounted on black foamcore and shrink wrapped for protection.

• Form: Color woodblock print on washi paper, mounted on black foamcore and shrink wrapped
• Construction or Decoration: Single hand-carved block, hand-inked in black and dark brown; visible woodgrain in the lower section
• Mark: Pencil signed “Kevin Clark,” lower right; numbered 45/80, lower left; red artist’s seal, lower left of the image; Certificate of Authenticity numbered #45
• Period: 1999
• Dimensions:
• Weight:
• Condition: Strong impression with clear contrast. No tears, stains or fading visible through the shrink wrap.
• Flags: Measure the image and sheet. The certificate says “hand printed,” while published sources say Clark prints on a press. Condition judged through the shrink wrap.

About the Artist
Kevin Clark is a woodblock printmaker from Roseburg, Oregon, who works from his Lizard Prints studio. He learned carving and printing from his grandfather, John R. Carey (1903 to 2003), a professional designer and printer who moved to Roseburg in 1990 with his 3,760 pound press, built in 1887. Clark carves his designs by hand with Japanese tools, often into American hardwoods such as myrtlewood, ash or oak. He frequently uses a single block, inked by hand in several colors, and he lets the wood grain show in the print. He prints on washi paper using the 1887 press rather than the traditional hand-held baren. Working in the spirit of the Japanese sosaku hanga and shin hanga print traditions, he had carved more than 400 designs by 2005. His print “Sun & Water” was shown in a 2004 Smithsonian exhibition. His editions are small, typically 35 to 80 impressions, and he marks the main block when an edition is finished so it is never reprinted.