Andrew Sandberg's Fine Art

Kate Birch is a Utah based artist and fiction writer. I first encountered her on Instagram and was impressed by two words written beneath every post: "Daily Painting." In almost as many posts there is a third word: "SOLD." Kate produces a painting almost everyday. She has made a business of these paintings and I wanted to learn more. Andrew:  Finding the motivation to produce can be one of the biggest challenges for artists. You produce a painting a day. How did that begin and how do you stay motivated? Kate:  It started New Year’s Eve three or four years ago when I decided to write a poem everyday. I got to July and I wanted to quit with every ounce of my being. But I kept going and finished off the year. I realized there was something to creating constantly and putting it out in the world even if you don’t like it. You’re not going to love everything you produce but every once in while you’ll create something that you’re truly proud of. And I found that other peop

This is a two color woodblock print made with oil based inks. Woodblock prints are "relief prints," in that the nonprintable areas are carved away, leaving a low relief of the image left level with the original uncarved surface.  The inspiration for this image is Ichijo Narumi's postcard print designed in 1906. Narumi's print is a lithograph, not a woodcut. But the simplicity of the design and imaginative use of the limited palette is a model for any printmaker doing their first two color print.  Two color prints are made using two printing plates. I carved both into one block of pine, each registered at the top and right sides so that I could simply slip the paper into the pre-carved grooves and know that the second printing would line up with the first. The green block is printed first, the brown second. Because the brown ink is transparent, where it overlaps the green ink, it produces the darker color of the forest and signature, making this technically a 3 color p