I’ve loved to draw for as long as I can remember. When I was a child my father would bring home paper from his office— he worked for a printing company and there was always lots of paper on hand—and I would draw ladies with big hats and beautiful dresses and dogs and cats dressed up for outings in the park, sitting on benches holding ice cream cones or flowers.

Printmaking was the very first art class that I took as an art major at Antioch College. Many years later, in 2008, I decided I would give printmaking another try. I enrolled at the Art Students League and discovered much to my delight that I love making prints. I love the planning, the process, and the richness and feel of the paper. 

Initially I focused on intaglio printmaking, producing black and white images from etched copper plates. I then shifted to multi-block relief printmaking and color inks became an important part of my process. Currently I’m primarily making white-line woodcuts, a technique that uses watercolor paint rather than ink and produces a more nuanced and textured look for my prints. This process also allows for individuality among each print in an edition, with each print creating its own challenges and surprises.

Contact Information

Phone: 917-378-6901
Email: mrthvs@gmail.com

Current and Upcoming Exhibitions

• 52nd Annual Mark Twain Library Art Show, Redding, CT. Dec. 7 - 15, 2024.

• Society of American Graphic Artists 3rd Annual Mini-gems Show. SAGA Gallery, 32 Union Square East. Saturdays from Dec. 7, 2024 through Jan. 4, 2025

• 127th Annual Midwest Art Exhibition.  Birger Sandzen Memorial Gallery, Lindborg, Kansas. January 26, 2024 - April 20, 2025.

Education

After Antioch College, I continued my art education by taking classes in illustration and design with Jim McMullan and Milton Glaser at the School of Visual Arts.

Influences

Looking through art books is a great pleasure of mine, and although my list of “favorite artists” continually grows and changes, among those artists whose books I currently look at the most and whose work I am particularly drawn to are August Macke, Doris Lee, and Wayne Tiebaud. The book Rhythms of Modern Life: British Prints 1914-1939, which features the linocuts of Claude Flight, Cyril Power, Sybil Andrews, and Lill Tschudi, never ceases to inspire and amaze me, as does the book, Contemporary Japanese-Style Painting, by Tanio Nakamura, which includes paintings by Tokuoka Shinsen and Yamaguchi Hoshun, among others. And I am continually discovering new artists to admire on Instagram.

Experience

Before devoting all my time to my own artwork, my weekdays were spent working in the publishing and advertising industries. Positions held included graphic designer, promotion art director, advertising manager, and editor. I also worked as a freelance artist, designing and illustrating greeting cards, book jackets, and children's books.

Collections

My work is in the Print Collection of the Syracuse University Art Galleries and the Newark Public Library.

Memberships

I am a member of the Society of American Graphic Artists, an elected member of Audubon Artists. an elected member of Allied Artists of America, and a member of Boston Printmakers.