6-9 color relief prints, editions of 15. 8.5" x 8.5"
Neighbors is a whimsical look at homes and historic properties within New Brunswick, and a prominent foil to my previous work by keenly using a quaint autumn color palette referencing the folksy works of Maud Lewis whose repetitious choices view the splendor of rural life. Through the medium of reduction relief-printing, Natt aims to capture this same sense of ease and splendor for the cities and hamlets of New Brunswick, spaces that cater old homes and rich histories.
In truth, this project and its current collection is a bit of a joke between myself and my audiences who have come to expect critical slants toward Canadian colonial heritage. This project aims to be intentional distinct and nonrepresentational of socio economic issues, to simply enjoy creating for the sake of the process, but this too is part of the comedy. The process of multi-layer reduction printing - a process I have long said to be easiest and straight forward method of printmaking - is the vehicle I have chosen to take each of prints on the road with. Even the specific 6-7 layer color palette lifted directly from the works of Maud Lewis is a part of the discussion, simplified choices meant to fill one with autumn coziness and distract from colonial histories of these spaces.
However, to anyone unaffiliated with my career, these are simply picturesque prints of local houses, works for sale, works of play, production, and passion. On their own they are distinct moments, spaces that play into the joke, but together they formulate a vision of a community, of New Brunswick all delightfully lined up on the same street ignoring their real world placement. And as I’ve been installing the works within new spaces (Sunbury Shores), framing them for clients, or discussing their implications with unaffiliated audiences, it’s become clear that these aren’t joke anymore. This project has evolved into something far more expansive that it was ever intended to be, and I’m excited to see its growth.
