GORDON HARTSHORNE PRINTMAKING SCHOLARSHIP

For students at the University of Illinois – Champaign, Illinois

Proceeds from the sale of Gordon Hartshorne’s original art will benefit the Gordon Hartshorne Scholarship and the U of I Printmaking Club.

With a lifelong interest in art, nature, and design, Gordon Hartshorne explored woodcut printing for nearly 30 years. He served in the U.S. Navy, received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and spent a summer at the Ox-Bow School of Art.

In the early 1950’s, Rand McNally and Company brought him on as an art director for book, map, and atlas design. After 36 years at Rand McNally, Gordon retired to dedicate himself to his art. He became an expert in the Japanese tradition of woodcut printing—hand pressing rice paper over ink-covered hand carved wood plates—that resulted in vibrant, textured, graphic images.

He passed away in 2004 at the age of 77 and left behind a legacy of his art for the world to appreciate. He made woodcut prints and paintings inspired by the earth’s beauty and memorable landscapes. The simplicity of nature, depth, and earth hues were fused together to produce his original works of art. His family established this scholarship to honor his memory and support the art of printmaking at Illinois.