About the Artist
Aurora Goodland is a young artist in Rhode Island specializing in intricate, textural woodblock prints and pen drawings. She is deeply inspired by ecology and is passionate about supporting native plant and wildlife species. She graduated from Simmons University in 2020, receiving her bachelor of science in Environmental Science and double majoring in Art.
Aurora's Vision
Aurora largely focuses on native plants and wildlife in order to raise awareness about the importance of local biodiversity. She believes that the more we realize the inherent beauty and value of the natural world that exists at our fingertips, the more likely we are to fight to protect it.
Many of her pieces have a layer of ecological research, often depicting an animal with context regarding its diet, habitat and/or behavior. By conducting this research, Aurora is able to further understand her surroundings and educate others about how to support native species.
Aurora's Printmaking Journey
Aurora enrolled in an introductory printmaking course during her sophomore year at Simmons, where she was challenged to experiment with a wide range of techniques such as pronto-plate printing, zinc plate etching (see image below), and gelatin printing.
There was, of course, one reduction woodblock project, and ironically it was not her favorite. She found it to be the most frustrating and difficult project, from setting up the paper with registration tabs to having to think "backwards" in terms of her mark making. Although she was generally pleased with her final reduction print, she was much more drawn to other printing techniques.
Discovering Passion
For her next printmaking class, Aurora enrolled in a Screen Printing course that she had a lot of fun with. Printing on shirts and designing graphic posters pushed her creativity and developed her artistic voice surrounding environmental stewardship.
Finally, in her final semester of undergrad, Aurora enrolled in a Relief Printmaking course at MassArt, not fully realizing what that would entail. Walking into her first class, she soon realized that this was going to be three months of carving woodblocks. Feeling a wave of regret, she contemplated switching courses, but ultimately decided to see it through.
As the semester unfolded, Aurora gradually began to gain confidence in her carving skills and working with the studio's printing press. She was excited to embark on the next assignment after spring break: a large 5-color reduction print.
Unexpected Change
What she didn't realize is that she would not be able to work in that studio again.
The students were inevitably informed that as a result of the pandemic, they would not be able to return to campus, nor have access to the studio space. Rather than giving up on her newfound passion, Aurora decided to learn how to produce hand-printed relief prints at home.
She ordered some basic printmaking tools (a baren, brayer, ink, paper, chisels and blocks), sprawled out on her bedroom floor, and got to work. It was challenging, but also incredibly rewarding to see her prints come to life through determination and resourcefulness.
The Journey Continues
Since falling in love with relief printmaking, Aurora has continued to develop her skills. To really push her growth, she has participated in two Big Ink workshops, each time carving a 3 by 4 ft woodblock and printing with a cohort of artists using the Big Tuna press.
Looking to the future, Aurora hopes to establish a public studio that she can use to build a community of printmakers and people who are interested in learning the craft.
