Fred Dylla, White-line Woodcuts
The white-line woodcut technique was invented in the opening decades of the 20th century by a group of artists who spent each summer in the Provincetown, MA art colony.
.jpg)
The technique is a unique marriage of woodcarving and watercolors in the form of an image carved on wood and then transferred to paper. A scene is first created on a woodblock by carving outlines of the various shapes onto the surface of the woodblock.
Watercolor paint is then applied to outlined areas of the woodblock after which a traditional Japanese print paper is laid over the block and rubbed to transfer the image to the paper. Successive layers of paint are added to enrich the colors and textures imparted to the print by the wood grain and the paper. Each print made from the woodblock is a unique piece of art.
Fred Dylla has been making white-line woodcuts since 2004. His mentor, Cape Cod artist Bill Evaul, rediscovered the art form in Provincetown 40 years ago and has been teaching and exhibiting ever since.