Kent Ambler gets lost in the art of woodcut printmaking
Kent Ambler spent most of his K-12 days drawing—“not always in art class,” he says, laughing—and, with ample encouragement from teachers, he never doubted his creative dreams.
And yet. “If you’d told me when I was a kid, ‘One day, you’re going to carve wood planks, mix ink, and print them, and make a good living doing it,’ I wouldn’t have believed you,” Ambler says. “But here I am.”
“Here” is Ambler’s working studio at his 12-acre home atop Paris Mountain in Greenville, South Carolina, where he’s been doing exactly that for more than a quarter century.
Since earning a fine arts degree from Ball State University in his native Indiana, Ambler has carved out a renowned niche for himself in woodcut printmaking, a time-honored art form he discovered as an undergrad. He also paints and sculpts, but it’s his nature-inspired, sometimes autobiographical woodcuts that draw the most interest.
Ambler describes woodcutting as “primitive and direct,” with its robust tools like chisels, knives, mallets, and presses, but he says it’s gentle and meditative, too.
“I love getting lost in the process,” he says. “When I’m carving, I try to let go of my consciousness. I work best when I’m loose and not thinking too hard.”
Being loose means starting with an idea or an observation, but letting his hands and the wood determine its full expression.
“It’s an ambiguous approach,” he admits. As he sketches, carves the design into wood, and applies ink to each block, he still hasn’t seen the printed image. Only when he turns the press does he know what the finished piece will be. “When I’m printing the blocks on paper, it’s like opening a present. Every image contains a slight element of surprise.”
From a business perspective, woodcut printmaking is unique because it allows for scalable sales. Ambler can make a finite edition of his work—typically around 20—allowing him to put one image into the hands of multiple buyers, yet each person holds an original piece of art.
Ambler’s work currently hangs in 11 specialized fine art galleries, mostly in the Southeast, and he exhibits his collections at four or five seasonal festivals across the region.
This working artist takes success in stride, but not lightly. He knows it’s a dream life, and within it he finds ample inspiration for the woodcuts that earn his living: his wife, Peggy; their coterie of dogs, cats, and koi; the woods, the water, and the wildlife surrounding their home.
One recurring and popular motif has its genesis in a passing exchange at an art festival. “That stuff will kill you,” a colleague commented as Ambler opened a Diet Coke. To which he replied, “Well, yes. Everything will.”
Back in his studio, Ambler chiseled a soda bottle alongside the words “Everything Will Kill You,” a phrase he’s repeated on an occasional series of woodcuts over the past 20 years.
“It’s fun pairing these words with images,” he says, noting he does so only when a current topic strikes his fancy—like house cats, for example, when he saw them described as tiny tigers who’d eat their owners if only they could. “I don’t force it, though. I never want to be kitschy.”
In the Studio
Want to watch Kent Ambler work? This renowned artist will showcase his woodcut printmaking process during the Metropolitan Arts Council’s Open Studios Tour on Saturday, November 14, from 10a.m. to 6p.m. and Sunday, November 15, from noon to 6p.m.
He’s also opening his studio for tours and holiday shopping from Thursday through Saturday, December 10-12, and Wednesday through Saturday, December 16-19, from 11a.m. to 4:30p.m.
His working studio is located at 265 Phillips Trail on Paris Mountain. For more information, visit KentAmbler.net or follow him on Instagram @KentAmblerArt.
On Display
Kent Ambler’s artwork is on display at 11 specialty fine art galleries, including:
- American Folk Art & Framing in Asheville, North Carolina
- Art Gallery on Pendleton Square in Pendleton, South Carolina
- Art on Broad in Augusta, Georgia
- Artifacts in Greenville, South Carolina
- Gallery on First in Sanford, Florida
- Gannon Art Center in Chattanooga, Tennessee
- Hudgens Art Center in Duluth, Georgia
- Row House Gallery in Milford, Ohio
- The Artisan’s Bench in Brighton, Michigan
- The Little Green Store in Huntsville, Alabama
- The Copper Fox in Leipers Fork, Tennessee
