Utopian Prints
by Vivian Stroupe

about

 

Hi,

My name is Vivian Stroupe (formerly Vivian Morris). I am the sole artist of Utopian Prints. My studio is based in Taylors, South Carolina, which borders the ever-growing Greenville, South Carolina.

I created Utopian Prints to sell my original, hand-carved, hand-printed woodcut prints, and sometimes, my needle felted creations as well.

My artwork has been sold and displayed internationally in Asia, South America and Africa. My most proud accomplishment to date is that one of my prints hung in adjacence with the largest collection of M.C. Escher prints - a master of printmaking, world-building, and illusion.

Utopian Prints exists to inspire fun, whimsy, and mindfulness through cozy, imaginative illustrations. The images you will find here aim to uplift and ultimately spread hope in a dying, cursed world. I invite you to come as you are and explore a new utopian world with me.

Your friendly neighborhood daydreamer,

Vivian Stroupe

 
 

Contact

If you would like to get in touch with me about a piece of artwork or just say hello, you can email me at utopiangallery@gmail.com

FAQ’s:

  • Woodcut printmaking is the process of creating original artwork that can be manually reproduced.

    It starts with a cross-section of a piece of wood (woodgrain facing up). The artist carves the surface of the wood to reveal the image the artist intends to print. In essence, creating an original stamp. Then the artist applies ink to the surface of the block that remains, puts together the inked side of the woodblock to a piece of paper, and manually runs them through a press that uses heavy, even pressure to transfer the ink to the paper. This process is repeated over and over (sometimes layer by layer to create a multi-colored print) until the desired result is accomplished.

  • Each woodcut print is a handmade original piece of artwork unlike the digitally reproduced pieces of artwork (confusingly called fine art prints or, even worse, original prints) where one original painting or drawing is photographed, transferred to a computer, then printed onto archival paper.

    This produces a cheaper product for traditional artists, photographers, and digital artists to sell copies of their artwork - a development which has helped many creatives be able to live off the sales of their artwork by selling the same piece over and over again.

  • From so many places, but I will just name a few:

    My artwork is inspired by the imaginative writings of authors such as Roald Dahl and Lewis Carroll and the brilliance of author/illustrators like A. A. Milne and Theodor Seuss Geisel (Dr. Seuss). I adore the creepy fun of Tim Burton’s stop motion pictures and the awkward comedy of Aardman Production films.

    Many people have compared my style of drawing beasts and creatures to the brilliant Maurice Sendak - a high compliment. But truth is, I only learned of Sendak only after people told me that my artwork resembles his!

  • The short answer is no. It would be confusing.

    Sadly, in a time when selling print reproductions of artwork is so common, the art of crafting an original, completely handmade print gets lost. So, in an effort to minimize confusion of terms, I only sell original, handmade woodcut prints - no digital reproductions.

  • If you are interested in buying anything you see, or care to see more, please contact me at utopiangallery@gmail.com

  • I learned about woodcut printmaking while studying my bachelor’s degree at Bob Jones University. It was the first time I really felt like I clicked with a medium and have continued with it ever since.

  • The beauty of utopia is that it is an imaginary place or state of things in which everything is perfect [Oxford Languages]. As such, the interpretation is different for every person. If my utopia seems dystopian to you, I suppose yours would look very different. And that’s ok :)