Today we’d like to introduce you to Lucy Holtsnider.
Hi Lucy, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I grew up an artistic kid who was always outside playing with our dogs or exploring the nearby creek. After enrolling at Colorado College I found my home in the bustling printshop on campus and started packing my schedule with art classes. My professors introduced me to the thrill of learning a seemingly infinite variety of printmaking techniques, and I thrived in the combination of structure and possibility that the medium offers.
Later I completed a master’s degree at UC Santa Barbara where I learned how to make handmade paper and abstract collages, and how to teach college courses. I worked as an adjunct professor for six years before pivoting away from academia and into graphic design in 2022. Now I work from home as a graphic designer and I head to my studio in Five Points to work on my collages made from prints and ceramic tiles.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
There have been plenty of detours and speed bumps on my path, but also a lot of adventures and growth too. From 2011-2021 I moved every two years, including teaching English to middle schoolers in Japan, spending a few years living in northern Idaho, restoring a wooden catamaran and then sailing it more than 3,000 miles, moving to southern California for grad school, and teaching as an adjunct professor in Manhattan. Along the way I saw some spectacular natural beauty and paradigm-shifting art, both which helped hone my interest in making bright, abstract collages grounded in an earthy palette. In the midst of all of that forward momentum, I also quit my teaching job in Japan before my contract was up, later went through a divorce, struggled with insomnia for several years, and experienced some very lean times financially. Since I draw on the location and emotional tone of my memories when I’m working in the studio, all of these highs and lows serve as essential source material for my collages.
These days my life in Denver is a bit slower paced, but much more conducive to maintaining a consistent art practice. My dachshund Milo keeps me company while I work remotely from a sunny townhouse filled with books and plants. My press is housed in Zarapes studio in the Five Points neighborhood and I’m consistently showing my work in a variety of spaces around Denver. I use Instagram to share new collages and my studio process, but I try to prioritize getting to art shows and events in person since there are always so many going on here.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
The heart of my studio practice is a 700lb machine made in 1960 called a Vandercook SP-15 letterpress. Vandercooks are highly sought after and in 2020 I was fortunate to be able to purchase one for myself. The catch was that this press had been sitting untouched for 20 years, and in that time one of the polyurethane rollers had melted into a sticky goo that gummed up the delicate mechanical components inside. I spent months using dental tools and steel wool to carefully clean it up and get it back into working order.
My press was designed to print newspaper proofs, but I use it in an unconventional way. Instead of printing text, I crank out colorful gradients and abstract patterns using collagraphs, or thin printing plates made from paper and glue. These prints are combined with other elements, like wood and marbled ceramic tiles, to create bright, abstract collages that hang on the wall. The choices I make in the studio related to color, texture, and composition are influenced by my sense of place and how it shifts over time. For example, gradients that start with blue and fade into a lighter color occur repeatedly in my collages. At one point in my life, that palette might have appeared while looking at the ocean on a humid morning; at another, it was more common while walking my dog as the sun set over the mountains. Prints from both references might end up in the same piece, along with many other elements from my reserves of collage material.
My process is unique and evolved organically over many years of experimenting with different materials and techniques instead of aiming for a specific outcome. My college advisor Kate Leonard would tell her students to, “Do what your hands want to do”. This advice reminds me to make room for unpredictable outcomes within a controlled studio environment, much like the combination of possibility and predictability that first drew me to printmaking.
Who else deserves credit in your story?
My high school art teacher Mr. Billeisen introduced me to graphic design and encouraged me to pursue it, and my college mentors Kate Leonard, Jean Gumpper, Scott Johnson, Carl Reed, Heather Oelklaus, Aaron Cohick, and Andy Tirado were integral to how I think about making art and about myself as an artist. I’ve gotten to teach as a visiting professor at CC several times in the last decade, meaning I had the privilege of working with them as both mentors and colleagues. In grad school Harry Reese, Richard Ross, Linda Eckstrom, and many others helped me take myself more seriously as a professional artist.
Since moving back to Denver in 2020, Alicia Bailey, Lindsey Bell, Hayley Schneider, Emily Moyer, Raymundo Muñoz, Ilan Gutin, Collin Parson, Max Kauffman, Kiah Butcher, Zach Davidson, Emily Luckett, Belle-Pilar Fleming, Daisy McGowan, Don Fodness, Valerie Savarie, and Anthony Garcia have all curated my work into shows and/or been encouraging cheerleaders as I build my network and career. Platte Forum, Bell Projects, SeeSaw Gallery, Alto Gallery, BMOCA, the Colorado Business Committee for the Arts, the Arvada Center, Nine Dot Arts, and the Denver Tool Library are a few of the fantastic organizations in Colorado that have helped me along the way too.
Pricing:
- My collages are available for sale on my website
- I also have work available in shows throughout the year
- All collages ship for free
- Local pick up can be arranged
Contact Info:
- Website: https://LucyHoltsnider.com
- Instagram: @Lucy.Holtsnider
Image Credits
Risa Friedman
