Micah SCHWABEROW

Born: 1948, in Eugene, Oregon, died in 2022
Medium: Woodblock Prints, editioned paperwork and gourd vessels

Micah was a Santa Rosa artist, first noted for exquisitely rendered miniature works. He studied at the atelier of Toshi Yoshida, learning traditional Japanese woodblock printmaking, as well as studying painting with Maury Lapp and printmaking with Elizabeth Quandt-Barr. He taught both in California and Japan, and had work included in special edition letterpress books. After returning from Japan in 1983, Micah's woodblock prints offered distinctively soft images--both in landscapes and figure studies--reminiscent of watercolor paintings.

In his figurative work, Micah celebrated the model--both in repose and freely moving in dance. These prints were usually more monochromatic than the landscapes, with fewer blocks and steps in printing. Yet in each the artist expressed a wealth of meaning, with the use of only a few lines, and subtle shadings. They can be joyful, serene, playful, or meditative, but in each Micah Schwaberow was eminently successful in capturing the human spirit in all its myriad manifestations.

The Gourd Vessels were a result of Micah's fondness for collecting objects during walks in the woods or on the beach. After drying, the gourds were cleaned, scraped, carved, dyed, waxed and polished, and then combined with the found objects--such as vines, stones, driftwood, rusted metal pieces or seed pods--to create the final piece.

Micah Schwaberow also made editioned paperwork. Different papers made from kozo, hemp and latko fibers were collaged and sometimes combined with painting. The artist created a detailed template of the resulting design. This enabled him to make an edition, though each separate image might be distinctive and unique. The result was large scale colorful works incorporating the textural element of natural fibers.

Selected Exhibitions:
Independents Exhibition of Prints, Kanagawa, Japan
One person show, California Museum of Art, Santa Rosa
Yoshida Hanga Academy Exhibitions, Tokyo, Japan
One person show, Palo Alto
Small Windows Exhibition, Mill Valley
One person show, Mills College, Oakland
Sonoma State University, Rohnert Park
Yosemite Renaissance IV
National Print Exhibition, Clinton, New Jersey
Mini Print Internation de Cadaques, Barcelona, Spain
Ren Brown Collection, Bodega Bay
National Small Print Exhibition, University of Wisconsin, Kenosha
Collections:
Achenbach Foundation for the Graphic Arts, Palace of the Legion of Honor, San Francisco
Private collections throughout the USA, Japan, and Europe
e, Oakland
Yosemite Renaissance IV
National Print Exhibition, Clinton, New Jersey
Mini Print Internationale de Cadaques, Barcelona, Spain
Ren Brown Collection, Bodega Bay
National Small Print Exhibition, University of Wisconsin, Kenosha
Gualala, California