Glacier National Park
Many Glacier Lodge: Into the Light.
Original hand-painted woodblock print. Limited edition of 100. $300 each, $800 for series of all three prints.
Chief Mountain: Nanaiistako
Original hand-painted woodblock print. Limited edition of 100. $300 each, $800 for series of all three prints.
Whitebark Pine: Wind Poem
Original hand-painted woodblock print. Limited edition of 100. $300 each, $800 for series of all three prints.
This series focuses on natural and cultural features found in or near the Many Glacier Valley in Northwest Montana. Glacier National Park commissioned Claire to make these prints for the Many Glacier Lodge historical renovation completed in 2017.
Each original woodblock print is handmade in every step of the process. Each image is meticulously researched, designed, hand-carved, printed and hand-painted in the old way: using the good old fashioned human hand, mind, and heart. I visited Many Glacier Valley and surrounding areas several times in November 2016. I met with biologists, plant ecologists, cultural anthropologists, historians and tribal members to hear their ideas on important natural and cultural stories to highlight in the area. which are worked into my final compositions. These drawings are then transferred onto wood, then carved backwards with fine u- and v-shaped gouges. Each woodcut is printed by master letterpress printer Dirk Lee on his 1964 Vandercook Letterpress. Once the ink is dried, I hand-color each print using luminous layers of watercolor. The black ink contrasts with the nuanced colors, creating striking images of Glacier's iconic landscape community.