IMPRINTS is a self-initiated linocut illustration series exploring identity, history, resistance, and discipline through a curated set of five works. The project was developed as a personal and cultural inquiry—examining how place, memory, and lived experience leave lasting marks on individuals and communities over time.
Approaching the work as an archival and visual narrative, I grounded each illustration in subjects that have shaped my worldview as an artist: Los Angeles civic culture, Indigenous history and leadership, music as political expression, and endurance sport as a practice of discipline and resilience. Rather than depicting moments of spectacle or celebration, the series focuses on restraint and accumulation—quiet, sustained forces that define identity beyond a single moment.
The visual language draws from traditional linocut and woodcut printmaking, early newspaper engravings, and archival posters. Each piece is rendered in high-contrast black and white, emphasizing hand-carved linework, cross-hatching, and texture. This approach allows the illustrations to function simultaneously as contemporary artwork and historical artifact, maintaining clarity, gravity, and permanence without relying on excessive symbolism or explanatory text.
Edition 01 moves deliberately through five subjects—Los Angeles, Broken Treaties, Chief Joseph, Zack de la Rocha, and Wout van Aert—forming a cohesive narrative arc that balances the personal and the political. The sequence progresses from place and institutional history to moral leadership, cultural resistance, and finally personal discipline and forward motion. Together, the works operate as a unified body rather than isolated images, emphasizing continuity, intention, and authorship.
The project was developed using a print-forward workflow that combines raster and vector processes, preserving organic texture while maintaining scalability for exhibition and reproduction. Select works are intended for translation into screen-printed editions, allowing the imagery to exist beyond the page and circulate within everyday spaces, reinforcing the idea that these imprints are lived, not static.
Tools: Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop
Deliverables: Linocut-style illustration series (5 works), print-ready digital files for exhibition and screen printing
Focus: Printmaking aesthetics, cultural memory, Indigenous history and leadership, music and political resistance, sport and discipline, editorial illustration, visual storytelling
Deliverables: Linocut-style illustration series (5 works), print-ready digital files for exhibition and screen printing
Focus: Printmaking aesthetics, cultural memory, Indigenous history and leadership, music and political resistance, sport and discipline, editorial illustration, visual storytelling
Edition 01 at a Glance
IMPRINTS No. 01 — Los Angeles
IMPRINTS No. 02 — Broken Treaties
IMPRINTS No. 03 — Chief Joseph
IMPRINTS No. 04 — Zack de la Rocha
IMPRINTS No. 05 — Wout van Aert
