Lyell Castonguay’s work is a fantastical representation of the animal world’s grandeur of appearance. He depicts his subjects in striking poses with countenances that express a range of personified emotions. Castonguay creates compositions in response to something he has absorbed as an avid consumer of natural history, literature, and entertainment.

Castonguay believes animal subjects achieve great spiritual and emotional power through an idolized form. He strives to create partially abstracted animal representations like predecessors Elliot Offner and Leonard Baskin. His art sets the stage for animal-inspired dramas, and the viewer is left to interpret how the scene will unfold.

Castonguay’s primary mode of expression is woodblock printmaking. He considers printmaking a refined iteration of his drawing process, and concepts begin as simple sketches on paper...Castonguay transfers the drawing to high-quality plywood. Then he moves on to the most time-consuming part of the process, carving. The artist uses Japanese hand tools to chisel around each drawn line. Larger and more complex compositions can take days or weeks to complete.

Ink is applied to the woodblock’s surface using a rubber brayer... Finally, Castonguay places fine art paper on the inked woodblock. An etching press applies even pressure, and the force transfers ink from the woodblock to paper. The result is a finished woodblock print.

https://www.lyellcastonguay.com