Shaped by Ice
Years of thinking about glaciers and printmaking in their shadows have flown by. Nestled back at home in the Methow Valley, I’ve gotten to know my home terrain more deeply and also visited new glaciers throughout Washington, navigating amidst their collapse, learning their stories and the impacts of their melt. I’ve reconnected with the Peltos and the North Cascade Glacier Climate Project during their August field seasons. Glaciers have continued to melt - since Mauri Pelto founded the project 42 years ago, the North Cascades glaciers have lost 40-50% of their volume, with accelerated loss since 2013. Amidst all this I pushed myself to generate large woodcuts about my personal relationship with glaciers - check out my Mountains as Mirrors series.
A few steps from field visit to art gallery
I’m not the only one thinking creatively about glaciers in our present moment. Imagine a gallery full of 9 artists’ glacier-focused artwork in downtown Seattle, alluring and educating passerby with glacial blues, glacial desserts (yes, cake!) and glacial paintings. That’s exactly what Jill Pelto spearheaded with her curation of the Shaped by Ice exhibition in April 2025 at the Slip Gallery Belltown. Protect our Winters supported the show. This is the cohort of artists I am honored to create and present with:
Views from the show installation and events
Finally, the North Cascade Glacier Climate Project’s effort has been beautifully captured by Dan McComb in a short film that spotlights Jill and Mauri’s process, blending science, creativity, and community to tell the story of a rapidly changing mountain range and the people working to protect it. The second half of the film features artists involved with NCGCP, including myself.
Watch Shaped by Ice below, and share widely!