December, Frick Park

Gordon Louis Mortensen

Gordon Mortensen commented on the process he uses: "Only one woodblock is used. On it an image is drawn in India ink. Before the first color is printed, any areas that are to remain unprinted (white or the color of the paper) are cut away from the surface of the block. Then an oil base ink is used to print the first color on all of the sheets of paper that are to be used for the edition and proofs.

After the first printing the block is again cut, removing any surface of the block that is to remain the first color in the finished print. After each subsequent color is printed, the block is cut, the process continues until the print is finished and most of the surface of the block is cut away."

Frick Park is the largest municipal park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, covering 644 acres. It is one of Pittsburgh's four historic large parks. The park began when Henry Clay Frick, upon his death in 1919, bequeathed 380 acres south of Clayton, his Point Breeze mansion (which is now part of the Frick Art & Historical Center). He also arranged for a $2 million trust fund ($27.3 million today) for long-term maintenance for the park, which opened on June 25, 1927.