Ruth Kirchmeier
Master woodcut printer Ruth Kirchmeier creates intricate, hand-carved colored relief prints.
Born to German immigrants, her artistic vision was shaped by her father, a skilled wood carver, and wartime family guest Josef Scharl, who inspired her bold lines and emotional depth. She studied painting and printmaking at Cooper Union under Will Barnet, while drawing inspiration from masters like Dürer, Bonnard, and Degas.
In 1988, Kirchmeier moved to Martha's Vineyard to be a year-round resident.
Photo Credit: Martha's Vineyard TimesHer art captures interiors, portraits and Martha’s Vineyard vistas, alongside New Hampshire and Maine landscapes; the latter sketched from a canoe during angling trips with her late husband. Her love of gardening inspires still life botanical arrangements. Her acclaimed work has been showcased across numerous prestigious Vineyard galleries over her multi-decade career. Her work is always in Limited Edition form, available framed and unframed.
Process
The woodcut printing process requires immense patience and stamina, usually taking months to complete.
The Master Block: The artist begins by transferring a tracing paper drawing onto a wood block. While basswood is ideal, she uses cherry or apple for detailed portraits. Due to arthritis, Ruth now prefers softer pine and uses gouges instead of a chipper for a more fluid style. She carves away the negative space with knives to leave a raised master design.
The Master Print: Next, she rolls ink onto the carved master block and presses it onto Japanese Art Paper using a wooden spoon.
Color Blocks: While the initial print is still wet, she rubs it against a new block to transfer the design. Each color layer requires its own distinct block with unwanted details carved away.
During the entire process the paper remains in place on a printing frame to ensure perfect registration of the successive colors and is brought down on each new block, printed, then lifted out of the way, clearing the decks for the next color.
Available Work
Daniela • woodcut • 9 x 8 inches • $1,300
First Flowers • woodcut • 16 x 16 inches • $1,300
House by the Hospital • woodcut • 13 x 18 inches • $2,300
Jacob in Brooklyn • woodcut • 13 x 19 inches • $3,000
March Avery • woodcut • 4 x 3 inches • $850
Ocean Avenue, California Coast • woodcut • 6 x 8 inches • $950
Room with Amaryllis • woodcut • 13.75 x 11 inches • $2,200
Sleeping Cat • woodcut • 8 x 9 inches • $1,300
Susan with Sara • woodcut • 12 x 11 inches • $3,800
Table with Leopard Skin • woodcut • 13 x 11 inches • $2,200
The Old Conservatory, Brooklyn • woodcut • 10 x 13.5 • $1,400
Forsythia • woodcut • 14 x 10.5 inches • $2,200
The Sisters • woodcut • 8.25 x 10 inches • $1,300
Available Work
Colander with Plums • woodcut • 7 x 8.5 inches • $950
Colander with Plums • woodcut • 7 x 8.5 inches • $950
Bowl with Fruit • woodcut • 8 x 9 inches • $950
Homestead Lilacs • woodcut • 16.5 x 16 inches • $3,000
Homestead Lilacs • woodcut • 16.5 x 16 inches • $3,000
Nelson's Garlic • woodcut • 7 x 8 inches • $950
Nelson's Garlic • woodcut • 7 x 8 inches • $950
Nelson's Garlic • woodcut • 7 x 8 inches • $950
Wild Water Lilies • woodcut • 9.25 x 12 inches • $1,500
Wild Water Lilies • woodcut • 19.25 x 12 inches • $1,500
Wild Water Lilies II •woodcut • 8 x 6 inches • $800
Claire's Flowers • woodcut • 8.5 x 10 inches • $1,300
Eva's Nasturtiums • woodcut • 8.5 x 8 inches •$1,200
Fall Flowers • woodcut • 6 x 5.5 inches • $950
Favorite Flowers • woodcut • 8 x 6 inches • $1,400
Nasturtiums • woodcut • 10 x 8 inches • $1,300
Peonies • woodcut • 10 x 8.25 inches • $1,500
Sunflowers • woodcut • 8.75 x 8.25 inches • $1,400
Pansies IV • woodcut • 4.75 x 4.5 inches • $800
Zinnias • woodcut • 7.5 x 5.75 inches • $950
Available Work
Captain Ellsworth West Homestead (autumn) • woodcut • 12.5 x 20.5 inches • $2,800
Captain Ellsworth West Homestead (winter) • woodcut • 12.5 x 20.5 inches • $2,800
Fishing the Cut (Day) • woodcut • 11.5 x 20 inches • $2,900
Fishing the Cut (night) • woodcut • 24 x 11 ½ inches • $2,900
Hellgate Gorge (winter) • woodcut: • 11.25 x 25.75 inches • $3,000
Bend in the River • woodcut • 16 x 24.5 inches • $3,300
Boreal Forest • woodcut • 10.75 x 8.25 inches • $1,400
California Garden • woodcut • 8.5 x 11 inches • $1,500
Cascades • woodcut • 11.75 x 8.25 inches • $1,700
Highwater • woodcut • 20 x 28 inches • $3,000
Jeff Fishing the Androscoggin • woodcut •10.5 x 14 inches • $2,200
Looking Up • woodcut • 8 x 6 inches • $1,300
Mal Jone's Barn II • woodcut• 5.75 x 4 inches • $850
Menemsha Hills, Winter • woodcut • 11 x 25 inches • $3,000
Moving Water • woodcut • 8 x 11.5 inches • $2,300
River through the Trees • woodcut • 9.5 x 11.75 inches •$2,300
River with Rocks • woodcut • 11 x 15 inches • $2,200
Smooth Ledge • woodcut • 9 x 11 inches • $1,400
Sundown • woodcut • 10.25 x 8.25 inches • $1,500
Sunset, Lobsterville • woodcut • 8.25 x 10 inches • $1,600
Thistles at Longpoint • woodcut • 9.5 x 12 inches • $2,400
White Pine • woodcut • 10.75 x 8.25 inches • $1,400
Dunes, Tisbury Great Pond • woodcut • 8 x 9.25 inches • $1,400
The Charming Studio
Upstairs, on the second floor of Ruth Kirchmeier's home in West Tisbury, lies her art studio. The walls are lined with completed woodcuts, carved woodblocks are filed on deep shelves, while the workspace is stacked with colored pencils, carving tools, and maps. Bathed in natural light, the loft offers a bright and airy summer workspace that transitions into a cozy haven in the winter.
Around her desk, the walls are covered with old photographs, postcards, newspaper articles, poems from the New Yorker, and her own sketches. Within this inspiring environment, the artist has spent years toiling to perfect the intricate, labor-intensive techniques required to create her masterful woodcut prints.
