July 3 – August 30, 2025
Gordon Mortensen: Carving Color
Davidson Galleries
In Person Viewing:
85 Yesler Way
Seattle, WA 98104
Online Viewing:
https://www.davidsongalleries.com/collections/gordon-mortensen-carving-color
Thursday, July 3rd, 6 – 8PM
Using only one woodblock for each piece, Mortensen prints one color at a time, carving out a new layer between each printing, finishing with most of the block cut away. With reduction woodcut, each color must be carefully planned because there is no recreating a layer once carving for the next has begun. These beautifully constructed layers build an incredibly deep space on the paper. Whether in the forest, in a field of flowers, or overlooking the seaside from the cliffs, we see the landscape as it is: vast, rich, and powerful. We can sense the time it would take to hike to the distant hills, or the force the white waves carry as they reach the shore. Mortensen cuts through the woodblock the same way that rock formations cut through the sky or water carves out channels. Each work is specific to a true place, the actual season, and a particular moment, but captures a universal awe for nature and its magnitude.
