2214 2nd Avenue North: Ballard Law Office

Katherine Linn is an Atlanta printmaker whose work focuses on nostalgic architectural landmarks around the South. She concentrates primarily in relief and intaglio printmaking, carving images from linoleum blocks and creating etchings on zinc plates. She is a founding member of the Atlanta Printmakers Studio and is represented by The Seen Gallery in Decatur, GA and Savannah Art Works in Savannah, GA.

The works I create are linocuts, images printed by hand from linoleum blocks. Each image begins with a drawing that is transferred onto a block of linoleum. Using hand tools, I carve out the white areas in the block. The areas left uncarved appear as blacks in the resulting print. When the carving is completed, a thin layer of ink is rolled over the block. The block is run through a printmaking press, forcing the ink into the paper. Each time the block is printed on the press, an original work of art is produced.

My subject matter is taken from the urban landscape, often depicting older buildings and street scenes with particular attention paid to old signage. These remnants of the Mom and Pop era symbolize a time when people knew their neighbors, and businesses were owned by individuals and families with a stake in their communities. They offer us a glimpse of our past, previous to the wave of franchising that homogenized much of every day commerce across America.

I have explored this theme in my artwork for more than ten years. Growing up in the South, many of these images have significance to me personally, some sort of back-story or memory behind them. I have always been a sentimental person and many of my memories are deeply rooted in a sense of place. This is the most fundamental reason for what I do. My subjects are not always significant to a lot of people, but there is evidence that these places are well worn and well traveled, that life has happened there. An authentic patina of time is a requirement for my subjects.

At the hands of development and time, many of the great icons of our cities have all but disappeared. With the exception of theater marquees, most commercial signs have not evoked enough community nostalgia to be spared or restored. I hope that my prints will foster an appreciation for the craftsmanship that is rapidly disappearing from our roadsides and street corners.