Every December I eagerly await the small white envelope arriving in the mail with exquisite handwriting that lets me know it’s the annual Solstice poem from Carol Wax, an extraordinary artist who makes her home in Peekskill.
Wax, who originally trained to be a classical musician at the Manhattan School of Music, fell in love with printmaking. After a brief music career, she began engraving mezzotints and became a professional artist/printmaker when renowned print dealer Sylvan Cole asked her to exhibit at Associated American Artists Gallery. In the ensuing years she has expanded her repertoire of mediums beyond printmaking into other works on paper and painting.
Earlier this month, she was at the Metropolitan Museum of Art signing the updated second edition of her book, “The Mezzotint: History and Technique” which was published by Schiffer Books. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The New York and Boston Public Libraries, The Philadelphia Museum of Art, The Library of Congress, and Smithsonian American Art Museum are some of the illustrious museums where her prints are on display.
There is a rich tradition of artists making holiday art, especially among printmakers. Wax celebrates the season by creating Winter Solstice prints. Early on, she created images using the mezzotint engraving process, but in 1998 she began etching her designs into copper plates that could be printed in relief, much as one would print a woodcut or linoleum print.
Wax told the Herald she challenges herself each year to compose an image containing three elements: snowflakes; deer; and the color blue. “Rather than feel constrained by these self-imposed parameters, I’m continually fascinated by the endless possibilities,” she explained.
Inspiration is drawn from a wide array of sources. Some years her images reference current events, as in the print Missing Peace, that was created in the wake of the World Trade Center tragedy, or as in the following year’s print, Glad-Tide-ings, which reflects her move in 2002 to Peekskill. In other years, friends suggesting titles, patterns on a silk tie, or deer prints in the snow have sparked ideas.
Wax describes Dr. Seuss as her favorite poet – which explains her rhyming schemes. In her 2022 poem, “All Things Considered”, she invited the reader to consider what they saw when they looked at deer:
This year’s poem, Take Heart, sums up ways to increase light as the darkest days of the year slowly diminish.
