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Ferns

Julie de Graag
  • $20.00

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SHIPPING FOR FRAMES ONLY AVAILABLE WITHIN U.S.

Originally created in 1920, de Graag’s Ferns is both a study in simplicity and a celebration of natural geometry. Tightly furled fiddleheads sprout up from a solid mound, their diamond leaves fitting neatly into their neighbors’ patterns. Seemingly pared down and stylized, de Graag’s rendering is not far flung from the actual plant’s precise puzzle-like growth. Careful and refined, de Graag’s woodcut prints were characterized by fine lines and masterful economy. She employed the use of hard end grain wood, though more difficult to work with, the polished results helped her develop her signature form.


We teamed up once again with Daniel Gardiner Morris from The Arm Letterpress in Brooklyn to revamp this historical work in richly textured letterpress form. We first collaborated with Morris on our letterpress remake of Albrecht Dürer’s Six Studies of Pillows and Samuel Jessurun de Mesquita’s Animal Pairs. While Dürer’s sketches were originally produced as a copper engraving, de Graag worked in woodcuts—a process similar to de Mesquita. Ink is applied to the raised areas of the carving in the former and to the recessed areas in the latter. Hundreds of years later, both styles of printmaking are still very much in use, albeit with a few modern conveniences. To produce our modern reimaginings, Morris creates a digital vector of the original image, outputs the negative image to film, and exposes a photopolymer plate. This plate can then be washed out to create the relief artwork from which a print can be made. He then inks the plate and creates letterpress prints using a hand-fed 1960s Vandercook press. The final product is an exquisite image in charcoal ink on 10"x8" creamy warm paper, which we are offering with the option to frame floated within a black frame. This is the first time we've ever provided the option to frame a letterpress print—very special!!

It’s been so incredible to work with Morris on bringing new life to these images. Of course it is always wonderful to get a window into an artists’ craft, especially a craft as process-based, technical, and tactile as letterpress. And how fitting it is to share a fresh look at a historical image during a time of rebirth and new life; bringing this historical work of art into the cyclical and ever-changing narrative that is—drumroll—art history, while fiddleheads themselves, off in some misty marsh, are beginning to push through the soil and out into the world.

+ Each hand-pressed print measures 10"x8"

+ This print is only available for domestic shipping

+ Custom framing is available for this edition

+ All orders for this edition are final sale and not eligible for discount or return.

+ 118 cotton Flurry, soft white with impression and charcoal ink

Artist - Julie de Graag

Julie de Graag

Julie de Graag (1877-1924) was a Dutch painter, printmaker and graphic artist known for her studies of animals, floral imagery, and portraits. Part of the thriving Art Nouveau movement, de Graag grew up in The Hague, and later went on to study at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts. Her woodcuts were powerful and stylized works of art, and incorporated elements of abstraction and a deliberate omission of details. She used the end grain of the wood in her printing, which is harder and more difficult to carve, but creates finer prints.

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