Artwork copyright Margaret Ahrens Sahlstrand. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, 2016.

Ponderosa, 1977

Margaret Ahrens Sahlstrand
American (born 1939, died 2023)

Location: Office of the Governor, Olympia

ABOUT THE ARTWORK

Ponderosa is a cast paper print created by artist Margaret Ahrens Sahlstrand. She places wet paper pulp around a printing plate collaged with objects and uses a vacuum table to pull the pulp into the surface of the plate. Ponderosa pine trees are common to Northeastern Washington. Objects from that landscape—such as small Ponderosa pine tree branches, a deer hoof print, fir cones, even bicycle tracks in the background—were used to mold the handmade paper artwork. It is an unconventional, minimalist portrait made out of all natural, biodegradable materials.

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with .

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Margaret Ahrens Sahlstrand (1939-2023) was one of the main artists working with handmade paper in the Northwest. She often used organic objects and clothing in making her paper relief artworks. She notes, “My images come from my immediate environment which is rural. The objects, plants, and animals represented are important to me as strong visual images as well as for my own personal fondness for them. By interpreting my environment into paper form it may be enjoyed beyond its own life span.” Sahlstrand grew up in Illinois. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Lindenwood College in Missouri, and a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Iowa. In 1965, she moved to Ellensburg, Central Washington, to join the Art Department at Central Washington State College, where she lived for the rest of her life. In 1981-82, she traveled and lived in Japan and Korea to study papermaking. Sahlstrand influenced several generations of students teaching papermaking and printmaking. She is Professor Emeritus at Central Washington University.