Color Me Birmingham
Charles Buchanan’s woodblock prints vividly portray the magic behind the motto.
By Carissa K. Rice
Although Vulcan, Sloss Furnaces and other landmarks make Birmingham’s skyline one of the most interesting in the south, it’s easy for some Alabamians to become accustomed to its rich architecture and scenery. But artist Charles Buchanan brings new eyes to the city as he aims to “depict familiar things in a radically different color in order to give them new life.” By marrying text, advertising and pop art in woodblock prints, Buchanan combines everyday visual scenery with the vivid color on wood.
Buchanan has been interested in art, architecture and photography since childhood. He studied advertising in college, and is now an editor for a UAB publication. That love of text and history of advertising finds its way into his art. For example, “B Is for Birmingham” depicts the letter B hovering over Sloss Furnaces. Its warm tones of red and hints of yellow provide a sharp contrast to the blue and green background that dominates the wooden canvas. Buchanan consciously chose these colors in order to make the image “leap off the wall much in the manner of pop art, which has a rich, advertisement-like feel.”
The process begins with a photo, which Buchanan reduces to line art on a computer. He then transfers it onto a rubbery block by carving a negative image of what will eventually be the final product. Finally, he rolls his colored ink onto the block and presses his paper to the ink. The final image displays the difficulty and precision of this woodblock process. The detailed process and its vibrantly colored outcome enliven Birmingham’s familiar scenery, just as he hoped they would.
Buchanan’s woodblock prints are available exclusively at Naked Art in Forest Park. See more at his website, cbuchanan.net.
