When Hanover opened its new post office in 1913, the two newspapers covering the event reported that between four and five thousand people to see it, and the odd revolving door that the Record-Herald noted, “seemed to puzzle many of the people.”

As designed by James Knox Taylor, its sandstone, brownstone, Maryland granite, and Indiana limestone created a significant work of art. (Taylor’s design influence extends to post offices in York and Gettysburg, built in the same approximate timeframe.)

The Old Post Office, as it’s referred to now, remains a work of art, and in addition to hosting offices, its stunning open area will be the home of art exhibits featuring regional artists.

The Gallery at the Old Post Office is pleased to announce its upcoming exhibit, “Paper/Printed,” featuring thirteen area artists sharing examples of printmaking and works on paper other than the more common painting or photography.

When considering themes for this year’s exhibits, I immediately thought of a group of artists that meet almost weekly at what they call “Art Night,” graciously hosted by Josh Johnson. (They meet at home, often called Sign of the Wagon.)

Another artist exhibiting works in this exhibit, Jen Simon, shares, “Such a great space to let creativity out, with a bunch of talented and kind people. We encourage each other, give advice when asked, get silly or get deep. My pieces have easily hatched out in such a supportive, creative environment.” Noel Wingard adds, “Josh is a wonderfully patient educator in addition to being an extremely talented artist. It had been a number of years since I had done linoleum carving and was so grateful for the space that Josh has provided in York. Lancaster has the .918 club but until Josh arrived on the scene, a dedicated printmaking space in York was much harder to come by.”

Less common mediums are seen throughout the exhibit, such as linoleum block prints, hand-printed four-color linoleum reduction prints, and a complex three-dimensional paper work that its creator Steph Holmes, calls “Inside the Heartwood.”

“It’s been a decade since I’ve made a tunnel book, but as soon as I started brainstorming what kind of prints I wanted to make, I knew a tunnel book was the perfect format to create the “peering into” feeling I wanted. I started carving the blocks one by one, and I designed each as I went to create the layers of this tree. 

The core of a tree is called the heartwood. My decision to carve a lonely, little chair in the heartwood was made nearly at the end of the process. I love the mystery of an empty chair - who sits there, why in a tree, and most importantly, where are they now?”

Likewise, Martin Horn also works with multiple layers and adds, “Forcing two-dimensional art into the third dimension by layering cutouts of paper; giving depth and perspective by placing differing thicknesses of cardstock. The rule is figure-ground organization.”

Josh Johnson, noted above as the Art Night host, fills us in on the process for his prints.

“My linoleum prints begin with a watercolor painting that is traced and transferred in reverse on the block. The reduction method involves printing the colors individually as the block is carved and more of the image cut away as the print progresses. Light to dark is a traditional approach and black is often printed for the last cut to tie the image together reflecting the line work present in the initial painting. A C&P Pilot clamshell platen press is used for these prints with etching ink and various fine printmaking papers.”

Nicole Osborne shares a work created with multiple lino blocks, a process where solid blocks (made of materials such as linoleum, etc.) are carved before rolling on the uncut areas with inks or paint. She shares some insights with us regarding her work, “The Mind’s Blind Eye.”

“Carving lino blocks presents a meditative challenge, calling for a design that must be impeccably drawn, clear, and bold while still conveying the image in my mind. Typically I gravitate towards messy, workable mediums that I can make endless mistakes with throughout my chaotic creative process, but printmaking forces me to slow down and lean into skills and techniques.

“This specific piece is the first of an experimental process of combining multiple smaller lino blocks into one larger piece - presenting yet another design challenge. I felt as though I was constructing the many facets of perception within the mind with each placement of my small eye carvings. The thin red lines connect each to all, akin to neural pathways in the brain. “The Mind’s Blind Eye” considers how despite the intricate inner workings of our brains, so many of our “eyes” miss so much of the world around us.”

Jeannine Dabb notes that her linoleum block prints are based on a narrative of high tides.

“They are two block prints with hand-cut stories in them: stories about travel, solitude, celebration, birth, and death. These large prints are hand-cut and hand-printed without the use of a machine.

“Separation is a silk screen print created from a drawing that I illustrated about a child stuck in a camp in Texas after crossing the border. It is based on the children that still haven’t been reconnected with their parents after so many years. This is part of an ongoing series I am working on about the complicated relationship we have with migration and climate change.”

Dixie Brillhart takes another approach, observing, “I have spent many years peering into a microscope, looking at cells, crystals, and bacteria shapes. As a medical laboratory technician, I always appreciated the colors, patterns, and shapes, atypical at times.”

“I used these memories to imagine the potential power of antioxidants within a pomegranate. Imagination with colored pencils and gel pens is my inspiration for Radical Pomegranate. I hope if you never tried a pomegranate perhaps knowing its potential nutritional power will be an incentive!”

Noel Wingard discusses her work, “Geometry,” and notes that it is a broadside. “Historically, these large prints were created as proclamations, a way to spread the news, propaganda, advertisements, events, or sometimes even song lyrics. This piece was my first broadside, printed with the assistance of Josef Beery at the now Virginia Center for the Book. Rita Dove’s poem appealed to me as an artist-scientist, exemplifying the propensity of the artistic mind to look at the world differently. As writer/philosopher/traveling salesman Elbert Hubbard wrote, “Art is not a thing, it is a way.” The butterflies, carved from linoleum pieces, are simple, but what they create in context when they come together is complex. There is a geometry and importance to each wing, but it is only in intersection and combination that there is flight; such is, for me, the combination of science and art and community."

Blake Gifford, an architect & project manager by profession, has a technical approach.

“My process is mostly reflective of traditional architectural hand-drafting techniques, and all of my work is done on a standard drafting table. Utilizing my varying sizes of metal straightedges, triangles, a proportional divider, and 4H (hard) pencils for light guidelines, I plot out the form of each building for accurate sizing and proportions. Doors, windows, roofs, ornamentation, and other details are then similarly located and drawn in pencil. Varying thicknesses of black ink lines are then applied to the pencil lines for depth effects, and the excess pencil lines are removed. Colored pencil is applied in multiple layers and blended. HB (soft) pencil is applied and blended for shadows. Finally, minimal ink is applied to articulate any muddied edges.”

I’ll share two clay monoprints, a medium created by Pennsylvanian Mitch Lyons, using colored clay slips instead of paint or ink.

The exhibit and future exhibits at the Old Post Office are artworks within a historical artwork. (The structure was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.) The twelve other exhibiting artists join me in inviting you inside to enjoy all of these creative offerings.

“Paper/Printed”
Gallery at the Old Post Office
141 Broadway, Hanover, PA

Opening: Sunday, June 25th, Time 1-3

Runs June 25th - July 27th, 2023
Exhibit Hours: M-TH, 9-4:30 

Additional Open Exhibit Times:
Sunday, July 9th, 12:30-2:00
Wednesday, July 19th, 6:00-7:30

Exhibiting Artists include:

Dixie Brillhart
Jeannine Dabb
Jamie Gerkin
Blake Gifford
Steph Holmes
Martin Horn
Josh Johnson
Amy Lehr Miller
Nicole Osborne
Susan Scofield
Jen Simon
Andrew Smith
Noel Wingard

For additional information, contact Andrew Smith via email. Thanks to Scott Roland and Blue Ridge Holdings for providing the Old Post Office for the exhibit.

All works copyright the artists and/or Andrew T. Smith