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So excited for my show at Hecho a Mano, 129 W Palace Ave, Santa Fe! The show is dedicated to my Polish Grandmother, Babcia. Her cooking was our “language” and our way of communicating since she only spoke Polish. Making traditional Polish food together was a hands-on learning experience that contributed to my eventual love of printmaking. Her colorful tables, her personal style of dress and long hair, her neighborhood designated as “Little Poland” were so interesting to me as a child. Hope you can come see the show!

So exciting to have Big Ink in our city and to get to make large woodblock prints with a group of talented printmakers! I had invited Big Ink over a year ago, and was happy that they agreed to make Albuquerque one of their stops.  They set up the Big Tuna press at Fusion Theater over a weekend in mid April. I had been working for several months on my large woodcut of my grandmother (Babcia in Polish) “Julianna” who had immigrated in 1910 and lived her life in New Britain, CT.  Her neighborhood was known as “little Poland” with such a large Polish community that she never learned English. My woodcut measured 24” x 60” and looked just right when the printed Masa paper came rolling off the press! The whole experience of having Big Ink here was so stimulating for all of us who participated. Thanks to Fusion for hosting us!

Thanks to a grant from the Albuquerque Urban Enhancement Trust Fund, I got to spend all of March, 2024 at a printmaking residency in Berkeley California. What a delight to be amongst other professional printmakers in such an organized, well stocked space at Kala Art Institute. I took my dog Esme and we lived near the residency in a lovely little house surrounded by walking paths and good restaurants.  UC Berkeley was very nearby.  At Kala, I learned how to use a variety of presses including the manual lithography press. Located in the former Heinz 57 factory, Kala has a large membership of local printmakers as well as a robust Artist-in-Residence program. While there, I worked mostly on Pronto plates and the large woodblock of my grandmother that I brought with me.

It has been so wonderful to be making some prints here in Oaxaca! Bob and I are staying near some friends, Ed and John who have also fallen in love with woodcut printing!We all went to Espacio Zapata to work with Cesar Chavez, a master printer. Thanks to all!

I’ll be opening my studio for a Holiday Print Sale on four consecutive Saturdays beginning November 25th and ending December 15th. Prices begin at $20! I’ll have lots of gift items and will be serving hot mulled cider. Stop by my studio on Mountain Road!

So excited to have my piece, Mariachi Story,  exhibited at the National Hispanic Cultural Center Museum at the June 16, 2023 opening from 5-7pm! It will be shown as part of the exhibit “Aliento a Tequila and the Art of Agave” and is part of their permanent collection. The show invites visitors to explore the culture and traditions that gave birth to tequila and will be up from June 16-August 13.

“Mariachi Story” by Julianna Kirwin, mixed media collage, 2018

Thanks to an award from Abq Public Art, I was selected to make a lithograph at our world famous Tamarind Institute! Three local artists (all women) worked alongside Luis Fitch designer/artist from Minneapolis. It was a huge learning curve for me because I had never done lithography, but I have to say now… that I LOVE LITHOGRAPHY! We are pictured here with one of the student printers (next to Luis). What a great experience it has been to collaborate so closely with the skillful master printers at Tamarind.

Our Herstory Printmaking Collective will be giving a talk at Hecho Gallery on Palace Avenue February 17th, 5-7pm. Registration is required, so please go to the Hecho Gallery event page: https://hecho.gallery/show/hecho-gallery-evening-art-gatherings-herstory-a-parintmaking-collective

Hope to see you there!

Albuquerque Public Art made this wonderful video of me in my studio! Check it out to learn more about my process!

Each year, Hecho Gallery (on Palace Ave.) has a special show called “Gifts” and this year I have three pieces in the show. My grandson Gerald came with me to the opening and I got to meet new people at the show! The Santa Fe Plaza is just a block away, bedecked with colorful lights for the season. The show will be up until the end of December.