Memory's Witness: A Suite of Six Woodcut Prints
Pamela Dodds
Working notes
"Memory’s Witness" addresses the persistence of war.
The persistence of war affects our lives daily, if not directly then indirectly, often imperceptibly. No matter how much we dream of peace, war persists. The experience is absorbed and passed on to the next generation and the next, becomes a shared, collective memory, and an ever present reality.
"Memory’s Witness" is conceived as a narrative suite, from a harmonious Eden, through threat of attack, devastation of war, grief, mourning and, finally, regeneration. The two female figures grow old and young again, witnessing, through countless generations, the destruction of war.
The images are carved in birch plywood and printed on Japanese paper. The delicate wood grain is incorporated in the imagery.
The persistence of war affects our lives daily, if not directly then indirectly, often imperceptibly. No matter how much we dream of peace, war persists. The experience is absorbed and passed on to the next generation and the next, becomes a shared, collective memory, and an ever present reality.
"Memory’s Witness" is conceived as a narrative suite, from a harmonious Eden, through threat of attack, devastation of war, grief, mourning and, finally, regeneration. The two female figures grow old and young again, witnessing, through countless generations, the destruction of war.
The images are carved in birch plywood and printed on Japanese paper. The delicate wood grain is incorporated in the imagery.
About the artist

Born in Halifax, Canada, Pamela Dodds was transplanted to the USA as a teenager. She received a B.A., Studio Art from Brandeis University, in Massachusetts. Her work is currently represented by Lennox Contemporary and Open Studio Printmaking Centre (Toronto), and William Busta Gallery, Cleveland, OH. She has received the Open Studio Nick Novak Fellowship, and grants from the Gottlieb Foundation (NY), Ontario Arts Council and Massachusetts Cultural Council. Reviews have appeared in Art New England, Boston Globe and Globe and Mail (Canada). Purchasers of her work include Boston Public Library, MA and Cleveland Museum of Art, OH. She currently resides in Toronto.
To learn more about Pamela Dodds and to see more images of her work, please visit her website www.pameladodds.net.
To learn more about Pamela Dodds and to see more images of her work, please visit her website www.pameladodds.net.