Julia Scheckel 

Incandescent 

Woodcut 

2020.1.1 

Today’s collection highlight is a woodcut by recent UWM graduate, Julia Scheckel! 

Julia’s work often depicts memories of spending time, especially in nature, with close friends, and this woodcut is no exception. The inspiration behind this specific work came from an annual camping trip for Julia and her friends to the White Mountains in New Hampshire. Julia and her friend fit right in among their natural surroundings, creating a visual language of connection and calm. In Julia’s words: “The sublime quality of the waterfall and forest paired with the love that I feel for my friends who were with me was something that I needed to reproduce. Moments of intense emotion urge me to put them down on paper.” 

Here are some more of Julia’s thoughts on this work: “The hours spent carving this woodblock had me thinking about my relationships, the great bonds that I have with my friends, and how breathtaking the natural world can be. Not only is the world beautiful, but I also find it overwhelming.  Knowing that my friends will always be at my side takes away a lot of that fear.” 

Julia graduated from UWM this past Spring. She obtained a BFA in Studio Art with a concentration in Print and Narrative Forms. Julia is keeping busy by working on a new screenprint, relief blocks, and an intaglio plate. She recently bought her own printmaking press and is in the process of setting up her own studio, and she is eager to work on many potential creative projects, including an art magazine and city-wide printmaking club. She also very recently got two of her pieces into Issue #29 of The Hand Magazine. You can find her work and get notified of future projects at her website, https://www.juliascheckel.com/, or by checking out her Instagram page, @julia.scheckel 

Visual Description: A black and white woodcut print. Most of the print is of a forest surrounding a wide river with a small waterfall in the center. A figure with short dark hair and a backpack stands at the bottom, their legs cut off by the framing of the image. Another figure in profile with a cap crouches, sitting near the bank of the river, looking at the waterfall. The gnarled roots of a tree to the left run down the embankment.