about

the artist.

Vivian’s curiosity for the real world and her vivid imagination combined have led to her to create her own utopian reality, which she has determined to document through her artwork. Since childhood, Vivian has spent her time making up stories and drawing imaginary creatures. Her love for good stories is clearly reflected in her artwork.

In university, Vivian discovered woodblock printmaking, and quickly recognized that this medium fuels her creativity. The reduction woodblock printing process combines 2-dimensional illustration with 3-dimensional carving of wood, providing a sense of physical and mental immersion into the creation of every piece. Vivian has described this process as helping her to feel more connected with the narratives and emotions that she wishes to express because it is a slow and methodical process and it takes plenty of physical and mental energy to create one piece. 

Vivian and her creatures live and create together in a little loft studio in their native city of Greenville, SC.

the process.

Reduction woodblock printmaking is a process in which the surface of a wood block is used to create a layered, color image on paper or another surface.  The artist begins with an original drawing on the surface of the wood, then carves out the areas of the block that the artist deems unnecessary to transfer ink to paper. The woodblock works like a stamp in this way. Once the block is carved, the artist applies ink to the surface of the block. The ink is then transferred to paper by running it through a press (a machine which applies equal pressure to the block). This process is repeated for as many times as there are layers in the piece. The process goes like this: carve, ink, press (as many prints as desired), clean block, repeat. For each color, the block is carved (reduced) further so that, in the end, the block cannot be reused to reproduce more of this piece. There are only a limited number of prints that can be made from one block. All prints are handmade from cutting the wood to carving to inking and printing. 

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