Sean Steadman

Sean Steadman presents his sixth solo exhibition with Project Native Informant, titled Giant Atoms, in our Unit 3 space.

Giant Atoms features five new woodcut prints and a portfolio of five woodcuts made this year using blended European and Japanese techniques. Each print is comprised of multiple layers, starting with a foundational wood block which is hand-printed using a barren, applying an ink made of starch paste and watercolour. Steadman views these works as bridging his painting and printmaking practices, achieving painterly marks and complexity of surface while maintaining the repeatability of composition from the underlying carved blocks. For Steadman, printmaking serves as his primary laboratory for generating ideas. He describes making these works as “trying to turn falling snow into cursive script”—chaotic experimentation involving guessing, hoping and testing to achieve the right combination of colour and marks.