Bridget Hillebrand

Ground swell 2023
linocut on washi paper; unique state
Courtesy of the artist

Artist statement:

But heard, half heard, in the stillness between two waves of the sea.
TS Eliot, The Four Quartets

Ground swell is part of an ongoing series of work informed by the rapidly shifting ecology of oceans and river systems and my embodied experience with natural waterways. The undulating dimensional properties of the printed washi paper reference a broad ocean swell. Soft muted tones and the interplay of repetitive printed marks suggest refraction of light and shadow and through reiterative actions of printing and folding, the underside is brought to the fore. Just as the dynamics of the ocean reveal spaces beyond its surface contours, Ground swell exposes openings and hidden surfaces that engage the moving viewer.