Annie Silverman, an accomplished woodcarver and printmaking instructor and one of my studio-mates at Abrazos Press, urged me to consider carving woodblocks to add to my repertoire of monoprinting techniques. She taught me to print woodcut in a non-traditional, improvisational manner, which naturally suited my imagery and the way I'd been working. The carved elements added complexity and depth to the monotypes, and provided me with new challenges as well as new possibilities.