Betty J. Scarpino

“My primary art activity is working with wood to make sculpture. Several years ago, I experiemented with woodcuts and fell in love with the process. I joined INprint, a printmaking group in Indiana, and I have participated in several of their print exchanges. Two years ago as a resident artist in Pennsylvania, I worked with a printer to create a major woodcut print. Many of the shapes I use in my sculpture appear in my prints, so I became intrigued with the idea of combining wood-turned forms with woodcut prints. I envision these two art forms displayed together, the forms, textures, and colors playing off of each other. I am exploring the combination of woodcut printmaking with wood sculpture and turned forms. To achieve prints that are highly figured with grain patterns, I use ash and oak, woods generally avoided by most woodcut artists. I know how to work with their unruly natures.” Scarpino goes on to say about her Creative Renewal Experience, “The ability to explore a new direction in my art work enriches my life as an artist and nourishes my soul.”