Alley Grass
Celebrating 10 years as an artist, botanical printmaker Linda Snouffer describes her work as “multi-layered fine-art.” Over the years of practice and learning from artists in the field, she has fine-tuned her techniques to create a stunning and varied collection of prints.
“I started out making simple leaf prints. Soon after, I wanted to get into landscapes,” she says. “I worked with a mentor who taught me how to create the backgrounds that you can see in my images using fiber arts techniques.”
Linda currently describes herself as a “collector.” She collects art techniques — printmaking, pastels, acrylics, watercolors, fiber arts, and collage. Inspired by nature, she gathers prairie grasses and commits to memory the sensory experience of her outdoor excursions. She fuses these artistic and natural elements into her unique style of artwork called botanical printmaking.
“I treat these elements as a deck of cards. I shuffle together materials — fiber dyes, tissue paper, copy paper, cotton, muslin, and other organic materials — and create colorful and translucent backgrounds,” she says. A beautiful step-by-step photo display of her botanical printmaking techniques can be seen on her website.
Linda creates botanical prints in her studio.
Linda’s work highlights the intersection between art and science, and she presents her botanical prints within a larger context of prairie conservation and climate change. “The prairie provides a unique ecosystem for water management and carbon dioxide management,” she says. “Prairie grasses draw water and carbon dioxide deep into the earth. The long roots pull water back to the surface during a drought. As many prairies have been decimated, it is critical that we preserve this life-sustaining natural resource.”
While Linda’s first career focused on health care, she increasingly devoted more of her time to botanical printmaking and volunteering within the art community. She has volunteered with the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota, the Textile Center of Minnesota, and the St. Paul Art Collective where she recently completed a 12-year commitment.
Tanglewood Prairie on cotton muslin
Linda is grateful to the artists who have helped her along her journey of becoming an established artist. Serving as an informal mentor to emerging artists, she enjoys sharing what she has learned about getting started in the business.
Linda is honored to donate her work to the 11th annual Art 4 Shelter. “The event is an interesting way for people to see my art and raise funds for housing,” she says.
Linda’s award-winning botanical printmaking can be seen throughout the Twin Cities. Her work, “Grass Lake,” is prominently displayed at the Shoreview Public Library in Shoreview, Minnesota. As part of a residency with the St. Croix Watershed Research Center (a branch of the Science Museum of MN), Linda created a unique art collection with plants harvested solely from the Tanglewood Prairie near Stillwater.
Born and raised in St. Paul, Minnesota, Linda laughs and shares that she lives across the street from her childhood home, where she works in her studio.
To view Linda’s artwork, please visit her website.