I recently wrapped up a new print commission project, this time for the Henry Clay Estate in
Lexington, Kentucky.
Man, this one took a while. Sure, the actual carving and printing took no longer than any other print. The problem was that after discussing the project in early 2020, a little thing called COVID-19, a.k.a. The Pausedemic, put things on hold.
To be clear, having to take most of the year off from commission projects is pretty minor in comparison to the health and economic problems people around the world have faced this year. Fortunately, I don't rely on art as my primary income source, but it made it even more apparent than normal how a disruption on this scale has hurt full-time artists. I've done my best to support the arts more than normal this year, and I encourage anyone who is able to do the same.
Considering how long we sat on this project, it felt great to finally get to cracking on it and roll out 25 prints of this cottage on the historic Ashland grounds. Sales of this print will benefit the The Henry Clay Memorial Foundation, which promotes the legacy of 19th century senator and U.S. Secretary of State Henry Clay, "to share his continued relevance locally and nationally as a great statesman and to preserve his beloved 'Ashland' as a testament to his love of Kentucky and country." Learn more at henryclay.org.
You can check out some brief process videos on Instagram.