(Honesdale, May 3, 2016)… Nationally-known and locally-based artist Mark Milroy wants to share his passion for woodblock printing with the community for free. Milroy, who produces images hand-carved on wood and printed on a hand-crank press one by one, will offer a no-cost workshop on Saturday, June 11th as part of this year’s Honesdale Roots & Rhythm Music & Arts Festival. The event will take place at 7pm at The Cooperage Project, 1030 Main Street, Honesdale.
“I will bring many prints but also demonstrate wood block print-making with my press,” says Milroy, noting there is an ah-ha moment when what looks like a mirror image on the wood peels off to be the traditional right-left picture. He admits he’s always been “drawn to the magic of never knowing what you’ll get until you pull that first print.”
Attendees will also have an opportunity to buy a limited edition poster at a special price created specifically for Honesdale Roots & Rhythm.
Milroy’s work has been exhibited in galleries in New York City, Brooklyn, Chicago, Los Angeles, Sag Harbor in New York, and Canada and featured in numerous magazines and reviews, including Architectural Digest Spain, Vogue Living and The Paris Review Daily. Born in Minnesota, Milroy holds a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and was the Drawing Instructor at the National Arts Club on Gramercy Park in Manhattan from 2000-2012. He and his wife, the writer Kelly McMasters, moved to northeast Pennsylvania in 2011.
“We are very pleased to have Mark do a workshop for us,” says Nancy Rasmussen, co-chair of the Arts Committee for Roots & Rhythm. “He’s extremely talented and personable. I think his workshop will be educational, interesting and fun!”
Mark’s work will also be on display at Artist’s Row during Roots & Rhythm, which takes place this year on Saturday, June 18th. A free family-entertainment event, Roots & Rhythm offers music, artisan wares for sale, food stalls, and activities for children. Tunes & Tales, geared for the younger crowd, provides hands-on demonstrations and storytelling.
Roots & Rhythm will also offer a music workshop the night before, June 17th, at Basin and Main, 564 Main Street, with Two-Thirds Goat, a bluesy country band that will open the main stage on Saturday, followed by Tall Pines, Sarah Borges and the headliner, Amy Helm.
Produced by volunteers, Roots and Rhythm is always looking for more volunteers. It is supported by donations and grants, including awards from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Pocono Arts Council. For additional information about the event or to volunteer, visit www.honesdalerootsandrhythm.com.
For more information about Milroy, visit www.markmilroy.com or www.moodyroadstudios.com.
Photo: Artist Mark Milroy