HELLO AND WELCOME FRIENDS,

It's been a couple of months since I've posted a blog but I have much to share. I've had a fruitful season of entering national and regional shows, winning multiple awards. I had a solo exhibit in the Silver Circle Gallery in Putnam, Connecticut that was very successful on several levels. Nice gallery! On August 20th (through September 20th) I will be mounting the largest show of my work to date at the Copley Society of Art in Boston.

The Copley Society is the oldest nonprofit arts organization in the country, founded in 1879. They have hosted many artists over the years including Duchamp, Picasso, Homer, Whistler and Monet. I am honored to have this exhibition, the first by a printmaker in the 146 years of their history.

Just one more thing; I became a member of the Society of American Graphic Artists in 2024. My debut with them is with my print, "Crystalline Light." This print is to be awarded Best In Show, Linocut Prints in their annual exhibition at the Housatonic Museum of Art in Bridgeport, Connecticut from September 10 through February 13, 2026. So I'm off to a strong start there.

Now on to the two prints I have made in the past two months or so. The first came from taking a walking through the forest on a cold December day. This is sometimes not easy. This day a crust of ice covered the deep snow and every step broke through the crust, the ragged edges rubbing my shins. Despite that, it was very beautiful. The low light glistening off the crust of ice. The deep blue of the shadows falling across the snow in broad stripes of brilliant blue. The contrasts of the illuminated snow and the forest in shadow is dramatic and a subject I’ve been drawn to for decades. Here are the six steps to making that print and the finished product.

"December Luster", linocut print, 12" x 9" (31 x 23.5)

The second print stems from a more peaceful excursion. I spent many hours on the Connecticut River when I moved to Brattleboro, Vermont in 1988. This print was worked up from three snap shots I took while on my boat, fishing and swimming. This was a complicated print, especially in the use of colors. It was completed in seven impressions, using about 20 colors layered over one another. Here are the first six steps.

The dark magenta and the blue are for Purple Loosestrife and Pickerel Weed flowers. They inspired the title, "Sunset With Red and Blue." Before I show you the finished print, here is a step-by-step series of just the area around the sun.

And here's the final print.

"Sunset With Red and Blue", linocut print, 12" x 9" (31 x 23.5)

Along with framing and matting prints, packing and shipping them and generally keeping track of the business side of my art, I have been a busy boy! I hope you'll have an opportunity to see some of my work in person. Galleries which represent me are scattered over a pretty wide area, especially in New England. Thank you for your continued support of my work.  I look forward to hearing from you and drop by my studio if you find yourself in Western Massachusetts. With a little notice I am very happy to receive you.

William H. Hays