Woodcut and Environmental Stewardship:

the evolution of a practice

 By Sarah Koff

I am a woodblock printmaker who works to honor and bring attention to plants, ecosystems, and environmental challenges through my layered and colorful pieces. My degrees in natural resources and environmental journalism allow me to provide context and depth to the stories of the woodcuts I create.  My work has largely celebrated species, ecosystems and complex relationships that provide balance and resiliency in the natural world. 

Having started my career in environmental education, I fell into woodcut around the same time as I became a mother. I spent the last thirteen years teaching myself the craft, while taking as many classes and workshops as I could along the way.  At some point I realized I needed to either continue down the road of becoming a professional artist or return to my career in the environmental field.  In 2020, the unforeseen success of a fundraising project made me realize I could do both, leading me down the path of environmental artist.

Last year I participated in a professional mentorship program through Zea Mays Printmaking (Northampton, MA), through which I’ve been able to develop my technical skills, learn new techniques, and experiment all under the tutelage of professional printmakers.

My practice is rooted in outdoor exploration and a deep concern for ecological issues in my own backyard. Currently I am exploring how visibility leads to connection.  From the devastating loss of the keystone species eelgrass in the Great Bay to the spread of an invasive nematode that is attacking my local beech tree population, so many of our greatest ecological threats are invisible to the naked eye—and thus aren’t as easy to bring attention to. My focus is integrate various printmaking techniques with a traditional woodcut practice to make these invisible dangers visible.