Loreen Matsushima

My series of collagraph prints entitled, “Gone Trees” were created after I discovered the forest near my home was logged. The imagery is dreamlike, reminiscent of the trees now gone–landscapes of ghost trees

I started exploring the collagraph medium in 2015 at the Corvidae Print Studio in Port Townsend because not only is it a cost efficient method of printmaking, but the nature of using substrate materials for printing is very liberating. To create the rich textures of the landscape, I prefer using the collagraph printmaking process, i.e., applying plaster of Paris to cardboard to create the print plate. The wet plaster is easy to manipulate and most effective in producing the rich textures found in nature. After the plaster is dry, I also etch lines into the plaster using simple sharp tools like nails to create finer details. An important aspect of the work is the use of the “negative space,” i.e., the un-inked area of the plate, to create 3-dimensional relief impressions of trees—the “gone trees.” Carving twisting sinuous roots into the wet and dry plaster are also integral to the piece.