In the studio with my little helper
I pulled my first print in 2005 and was immediately hooked by printmaking. Many well intentioned people over the years have tried to impress upon me the importance of computer applications like Photoshop and Illustrator, but I prefer to use print technology that hasn’t changed much in the last 400 years.
I’ve been focused on making etchings since my student days at Portland State University. After finishing my BA in Fine Arts, I joined Bite Studio in 2012, where much of my output has been still life etchings. I discovered, almost by accident, that orchids make wonderful drawing models because the blooms last so long–months, in some cases. There are over 26,000 species of orchids, all of which are beautiful, many of which are downright bizarre looking. I love the way these flowers seem to blur the line between the plant and animal kingdoms. Cropped, closeup views of flowers can be powerfully evocative, reminding the observer of insects, extraterrestrial aliens, or, most frequently, human anatomy.
Keeping my plants alive has been a crucial but difficult part of my art practice. I would gladly draw the same kind of flower again and again, if I could convince it to re-bloom. Since joining a couple of orchid societies, I’ve been amazed to see how diligently people study botany as they cultivate their plant collections. I’m as inspired by the dedication of orchid growers as I am by the plants themselves.
39 plants crammed on one shelving unit!
Kathryn deVillers
Oncidium Press
kathryndevillers@gmail.com
Oncidium Press 
Hi Kathrhyn, thanks for following me. I am looking forward to reading your stuff. Don’t worry it took me lots of frustration to work out my wordpress site too; still evolving. Luv your prints.
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Thanks for the kind words, Julie! I’m impressed by how you’ve integrated all the different social media platforms into your site–well done!
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Bonjour from the frozen North, Kathryn, and thanks for following me over on Flora Incognito, my photography blog. If you need any pointers on posts, wordpress or blogging, I’d be happy to help. Meanwhile, looking forward to reading and following along. You can catch some of my stories and scribbles at: http://wrywriter.wordpress.com
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Hi Kathryn,
What gardening passion and artistic talent you have for orchids!
Since you like Oncidium, here’s one of my special posts for your delectation:
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Thanks for the link, Sound Eagle! Your page has a wonderful gallery and lots of great information.
I named my business “Oncidium Press” because that was the first orchid I convinced to spike and re-bloom. They’re wonderful plants but take up an awful lot of space in my windowsill growing area!
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You are very welcome, Kathryn! Thank you for your reply. 🙂 I like the name of your business very much.
Should you be interested in being interviewed, you are very welcome to write a detailed essay or article submitted in Microsoft Word format (or something equivalent) by email to me, and I shall edit and do whatever else that is relevant before publishing it in a final form on my website in high quality.
There is no restriction in the length of the essay or article, and in the number of photos (preferably in high resolution) included.
Here is one such example:
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