Evergreen Muse: The Art of Elizabeth Colborne

Elizabeth Aline Colburne (1885-1948) was one of the most accomplished artists ever active in Washington State. An integral part of the regional Arts and Crafts Movement, she is known today for her extraordinary color woodcuts produced during the 1920s and 1930s. These prints depict the Pacific Northwest landscape in a technique that was highly influenced by Japanese ukiyo-e prints. Colborne elected to design, carve, and print her own editions, using brilliant colors and innovative, multiple overlay techniques. Evergreen Muse is the first in-depth study of her art and presents all the known color woodcuts that she created.

In addition to color woodcuts, Colborne made drawings in graphite and colored pencil, as well as small, intimate and highly detailed gouache paintings. Born in South Dakota, the artist divided her time between Bellingham, Washington, and New York, where she studied with Rockwell Kent, Robert Henri, and Allen Lewis and became a leading children's book illustrator.

David F. Martin is an independent art historian and curator in Seattle.