With every deliberate carving and layer of ink, local printmaker Angelina LaPointe attempts to transform the beauty of the state’s ecosystems into tactile art that celebrates the diversity and charm of the natural world.
“In California, we live in a really special, beautiful environment, and not everybody gets to be out in it,” LaPointe explained. “I love to be able to transport those experiences back into people’s houses, into little pieces of art, so that you can have them in your life and remind you that you live in a beautiful place.”
Her California Wilds art show will be on display at the Lompoc Valley Art Association’s Cypress Gallery from Jan 3. to 26. The exhibition features wildlife and landscapes that LaPointe has encountered throughout the state.
“I’m always amazed by the colors that you see in nature when you stop and look, so I did a lot of exploring of colors,” she said. “I used California Wildlife to explore that. I’m particularly thinking of garibaldi—the really, really bright orange, like, traffic cone-colored fish. I got a chance to see some of those in person this summer, snorkeling off of Catalina Island.”
To capture these wonders of nature, LaPointe uses a complex printmaking process that involves carving intricate details into blocks of linoleum, which are then inked and pressed onto paper like large stamps. When exploring with color, as she did for this month’s showcase, she carves out additional blocks that will be layered on top of one another to create the final piece.
“I’m very intentional about how many colors I use because every time I add a color, that’s more work, so I build up very slowly and intentionally,” she said.
When studying printmaking and book arts at UC Santa Barbara, LaPointe developed a strong appreciation for the finality of each step in the process.
“You have your plate, you have your paper, and you have your ink, and you can make little tiny changes to each one to affect the final end product,” she said. “Once I carve something, I can’t go back. It is what it is. Unless I want to start over, I’m stuck with my decisions, and I sort of like that.”
If she had to choose one favorite step in the process, it would be carving because that’s when she feels her artwork truly starts coming together. Even so, she emphasized that she appreciates every single step of block printing.
“There’s a problem-solving aspect to every stage of the process,” she explained. “They’re not big, insurmountable problems. They’re like little questions that I get to ask myself at every stage of the process.”
LaPointe noted how she has always loved high-contrast art, drawing inspiration from comic books, punk rock posters, and even minimalistic black-and-white illustrations. As a kid, she acquired a collection of children’s books at her local library book sale that remain valuable to her because of the techniques used by artists to create simple yet bold designs.
“There’s a lot of really cool, simple printmaking techniques that were used in those books, where they only printed in one or two colors with a black outline,” LaPointe said. “I’m often thinking about those kids’ books and how they simplify the design when I’m putting together prints. It’s something that’s really inspirational to my practice overall.”
She explained that because printmaking is so detail-oriented, she makes both technical and conceptual challenges for herself to ensure that the craft never feels boring. For the California Wilds exhibition, LaPointe challenged herself to create an installation that includes many prints that work together to make one larger piece of art.
“I have to make little challenges for myself every time to keep myself moving forward and to keep my work moving forward,” she said.
For the last few years, LaPointe has focused on nature and wildlife, using daily sightings and encounters with different landscapes and animals as muses for her pieces. She wants people who look at her art to feel “joy and appreciation for the beautiful place that we live in.”
“I am trying to make small daily reminders for people that this [world] is beautiful and exceptional,” LaPointe said.
Contributor Emma Montalbano can only draw stick figures. Send tips to emontalbano@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Jan 2-12, 2025.