By Karina Montoya, UC Davis Strategic Communications
While working on her doctorate in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at UC Davis, Megna Hari spends her free time creating block printed cards inspired by iconic UC Davis landmarks.
“I have always enjoyed art (drawing, painting, jewelry making) and discovered block printing in the fall of 2017 when scrolling through random Instagram art videos. I started by trying wood carving but found it pretty difficult and had a better time carving rubber and linoleum,” Hari said. Block printing creates beautiful art, but the process is time consuming, she said. One must use the right amount of ink to create seamless line work.
“I have always enjoyed art (drawing, painting, jewelry making) and discovered block printing in the fall of 2017 when scrolling through random Instagram art videos. I started by trying wood carving but found it pretty difficult and had a better time carving rubber and linoleum”, Hari stated. Block printing creates beautiful art, but the process is time consuming. One must use the right amount of ink to create seamless line work.
The beauty in block printing lies within its accessibility. Hari said. “You don’t have to be good at drawing to be good at printmaking — there are methods for printing out designs from your computer and then transferring them over to the linoleum or rubber.” All one needs is passion and inspiration to create art.
Much of Hari’s work is inspired by Davis. The city’s water towers, cows, and bikes set the scene for her cards. Locally, her work has been supported, and Hari, who grew up in Davis, has begun to sell her cards at art shops and now at Newsbeat – a newsstand located in the heart of downtown Davis. Aside from her work in academia, Hari found a love in block printing. Something that was once stumbled upon by chance, now connects her to her community.
To check out more of Hari’s work you can find her on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube @Megnaisacat.
Those interested in purchasing Hari’s hand carved block printed cards you can shop on her website.
A video of her making a print is available here.