Coleen O’Connell 

Hartland, VT 

As a retired educator, Coleen has discovered that retirement is really a realignment of time and energy.  Imagine her surprise when she fell in love with nature printing introduced to her by an artist friend in Oregon.

Coleen is a printer of fish, other animals, and botanical specimens.  Her printing techniques include Gyotaku (traditional Japanese fish printing) direct printing methods, Geli plate printing, monotype printing as well as watercolor printing.   Yes, she prints real fish, octopus, and squid that have found their way into nets as by-catch.

As a lifelong environmental activist and educator, for twenty years she mentored teachers to introduce ecological literacy to classrooms across America.

Coleen is happiest while sauntering in the woods, basking in the sun, and watching the night sky. The natural world is her playground and her engagement with printing has finally absolved a life-long frustration at not being able to sketch.