The Flatbed Files No. 9: "Park 8" by Ann Conner

Ann Conner (born 1948, Wilmington) is a nationally acclaimed artist and professor, known for her colorful woodblock prints. Her work is included in a number of major museum and corporate print collections in the U.S. and internationally. To create her striking woodcuts, she sources blocks of native wood based on the grain pattern and uses that as the background texture of her work. Conner first came to Flatbed in early 1998, bringing with her a small set of carved woodblocks to proof that would become her “Madrone Suite”. After this successful collaboration, she returned in 2001 with eight large woodblocks to create her “Park Suite”.

“Park 8” is a large 50" x 38” woodcut print included in Conner’s “Park Suite”. It depicts four spherical shapes spaced equally across a dark red woodgrain background. Like the other prints in her “Park Suite” series, “Park 8” was created using a large woodblock that she carved with images made with a toy Spirograph. Though the four shapes appear the same at first impression, each is unique in its details and expression. This grouping used eight different colors of Japanese papers to provide the base color, with her carved blocks providing woodgrain color fields as backgrounds. The horizontally positioned woodgrain help emphasize the four vertically positioned shapes and the large scale of this print allows it to be read almost as a flag or banner. The organic nature of the woodgrain along with the symmetrical placement of the Spirographic forms evokes a sense of ease and tranquility, reminiscent of a Japanese Zen Garden. This peaceful quality is contrasted with the print’s striking composition and use of color, which help make “Park 8” a truly captivating work of art.

Ann Conner 
“Park 8”
2002
Woodcut
Image Size: 46 x 34 in