“HOOT’S MILL”: Artsbridge’s Distinguished Artist Series event on October 21 at 7 p.m. will feature award-winning Bucks County artist Dean Thomas in an open forum discussion and demonstration of the woodblock printing process.

Award-winning Bucks County artist Dean Thomas will demonstrate multicolor woodblock printing at Artsbridge’s Distinguished Artist Series on Thursday, October 21 at 7 p.m. For the first time since the pandemic began, the meeting will be held in person at Prallsville Mills, 33 Risler Street in Stockton.

The open forum discussion and demonstration of the woodblock printing process will include initial drawing, block preparation, palette selection, carving tools and techniques, and final printing.

Thomas graduated from Glassboro State College in 1983, and launched right into his decades-long career as a professional artist. Initially working as a printmaker in New Jersey, he produced over 100 hand-engraved plates for monotype and colored prints–using watercolor to hand color each print. His small editions of Southern New Jersey landscapes and village scenes were widely exhibited in New Jersey and Philadelphia — where he was an exhibiting member of the Philadelphia Watercolor Club.

In 1994 he moved to Boulder, Colo., where the vast landscape inspired him to paint exclusively in watercolor. After a year, he returned to the New Hope, Pa., area for its rich heritage in the visual arts. For the last 20 years, he has been working in Bucks County and exhibiting throughout the region. In this period, Thomas transitioned from watercolor to oils.

An avid backpacker, fly fisherman, and kayaker, Thomas’ strong and deeply rooted connection to the natural world drives him to paint. “It is my sincere desire that my love for the outdoors, seen through my paintings, will have a profound effect on others – keeping them connected to the natural world as well,” he said.

This event is free and open to the public. Artsbridge requests that attendees be vaccinated and wear a mask while inside the mill. For more information, visit artsbridgeonline.com.