Alicia Burnett
[2013, Illustration]

Based in Schenectady, NY

Wolf Jaw Press’ RISD Craft Gallery

Wolf Jaw Press is an independent screen printing studio located in Upstate New York just north of Albany. Founded by Alicia Burnett in 2015, Wolf Jaw Press focuses on celebrating the beauty of nature with small limited edition runs of handcrafted prints. From start to finish, every part of the printing process is done by hand. Working by hand is messy and labor intensive, but it is a rewarding and humbling process that yields breathtaking results.

What are some of the most important practices for your creative process?

The most important practice for my creative process is reminding myself that it’s okay to take breaks and have a life outside of my work. I am much more creative and productive when I’m well rested and happy. Everyone at RISD has such a tremendous work ethic and I think it’s really easy for young artists to fall into the trap of becoming a workaholic. At times it can seem glamorous, romantic, or even required to slave over your work – sacrificing basic self care in the pursuit of creation. I’ve learned that good time management, self care, and stepping away from my studio every once and a while contributes to my ability to think creativity create good work.

How does your current creative practice tie into your time spent at RISD?

I learned to screen print at RISD and I’ve never looked back! I was an undergraduate in the Illustration department where I was introduced to a lot of different creative processes, methodologies, and medias. The illustration department is great; I loved the fact that we were encouraged to experiment and take creative risks as we searched to find a process or media that really clicked with us. In my creative quest, I ventured outside of the Illustration department to take an elective screen printing studio with the Printmaking department and I completely fell in love with the process. The modality of screen printing, the structure and parameters it provided, felt freeing.

Tell us about some of your main sources of inspiration.

The inspiration for my art stems from my lifelong fascination with and affinity for the animal world. From the time I was old enough to comprehend that I shared this earth with other living, breathing, non-human beings called “animals,” I’ve been obsessed with observing and learning about the diverse creatures that walk, swim, and fly on this planet.

I remember as a young child begging my parents for horseback riding lessons. I was less excited about riding the horses and more interested in the simple pleasure of spending time in the presence of such exquisite beauty and unrestrained power. Standing on the ground next to a horse and sharing an intimate moment as two equals invokes a feeling of intense awe and reverence. It’s these kinds of feeling and these kinds of experiences that really inspire me.

Is there a work/body of work that you are particularly excited about sharing with us at RISD Craft this year?

Recently, I’ve been creating a lot of bird of prey prints that I’m pretty excited about. Birds of prey seem to be my current animal fixation at the moment.

To see more of Alicia’s work, visit wolfjawpress.com