Throughout time, art has evolved into numerous styles, but one of them has stood out for centuries. Woodcuts can be traced back to the early Chinese dynasties and have survived to the 21st century. Loren Kantor, avid woodcutter and founder of Woodcutting Fool, has embraced this form of art and showcases his talent on his website.
“I first fell in love with woodcuts back in the 1980’s when I attended a German Expressionist Art Exhibition at LA County Museum,” he said. “I was mesmerized by the stark lines and bold imagery and never envisioned attempting woodcut carving myself.”
After years of admiring woodcuts, Kantor received a woodcutting set for his birthday from his wife and after viewing some tutorials he decided to give woodcutting a try. “The carving process was difficult at first. I cut myself often, the blocks were ragtag and I felt like a kid with my first set of finger-paints,” he said. “After a few months, I was hooked. I spent hours immersed in carving. After a year I was confident enough to begin showing the prints.”
Starting a blog of his work in 2011, Kantor’s work gained international attention when an individual from Switzerland commissioned Kantor to do a custom self-portrait. His portfolio is filled with iconic celebrities and everyday people that left an impression on Kantor, and even though it is not a person but a place, New York has left a mark on this woodcutter.
“I’ve always been fascinated by New York. Manhattan is both inspiring and terrifying to me,” Kantor said. “I feel most comfortable surrounded by trees so whenever I travel to New York City, I feel displaced and confused. Yet, I also feel an intense energy that I’ve never experienced anywhere else.”
While many of Kantor’s friends live or have lived in New York, he understands the unique personalities that can be found throughout the streets of Manhattan. “The city is like a crucible that melds disparate elements into a unique character you find nowhere else,” he said.
Most of the woodcuts that relate to New York are of actors that are from the city, including Jim Jarmusch, Steve Buscemi, Humphrey Bogart and James Cagney. However, one of Kantor’s woodcuts has both a New York and personal connection.
“My favorite woodcut is the one I carved of my Grandpa Al, he was my hero,” he said. Hailing from Brooklyn, Grandpa Al was known to be feisty and mischievous and was the reason why Kantor fall in love with practical jokes and pranking friends.
He recalled inviting a high school friend to have dinner at his grandparents’ house. “After dinner, my grandpa brought a bill for the meal to my friend asking if he would be paying by cash or credit. He even put a credit card machine on the table,” Kantor said. “My grandpa played off the joke perfectly until my friend started to sweat and say he had no money. Carving a woodcut was my way of paying tribute to my grandpa’s memory.”
The process of woodcutting takes time, patience and a vision. Starting with an image to a pencil sketch and then transferring everything to a wood block, the entire process can take around 40-50 hours. After carving the wood, Kantor applies a thin layer of ink and hand press the image on archival paper.
Each woodcut has a story waiting to be told and Kantor is compelled to showcase either celebrities or people he knows. “There is an ineffable quality involved in the people I choose to carve. This quality is hard to explain,” he said. “Steve Buscemi has it. Charles Bukowski has it. Jim Jarmusch has it. Tom Cruise does not have it. Nor does George Lucas.”
“These days, when everything is moving so fast, woodcut carving helps me slow down. You can’t rush the process. You need to be mindful of the moment, of each carve you make,” he said. “In some ways, woodcutting has become my own personal form of yoga.”
Twisted Talk: Have you ever done woodcutting? What are some of your favorites from Loren Kantor? Discuss below!
