What the Family Built

I grew up on a farm: a bucolic tableau of rolling hills carpeted in fruit-laden orchards and studded with historic buildings my ancestors began building over 150 years ago. Beautiful, perhaps, but my agrarian heritage has always been complicated by familial duty, financial burdens, and ancestral guilt. And while my family’s farm remains, I have watched countless others succumb – most often to financial pressures – but in the best of cases they have been returned to nature.

Marinating in my own complex emotions, I explored the sentiments in Dan Dietrich's poem, “A Good Life,” by marrying the uniqueness of monotype with the ethereal character of collagraph. While nature may be ever changing, the perceived permanence of human-made structures and their physical and emotional trappings are ephemeral at best; nothing but ghosts on the landscape.

Viewing these prints online works best by selecting "Unframed" and then moving through the variants. Please note that several of these prints are, however, already framed and ready to hang. If the unframed option says "Sold Out", please try the framed button to see if it is available.

2024 Poet-Artist Collaboration
Red Wing Arts, Red Wing, MN
Poetry: "A Good Life" by Dan Dietrich

Medium: Monotype & Collagraph
Year: 2024
Variable Edition of 10
Image Size: 14" x 8"
Paper Size: 18" x 12"
Paper Type: Rives BFK

Framing Option: 20" x 14" black aluminum frame with white matboard and regular glass.