Alva Review-Courier -

When Lars Roeder begins speaking, it's evident he hasn't always lived in Oklahoma. His accent isn't Texan either, although he lived there for several years. Roeder is the new instructor in the art department at Northwestern Oklahoma State University.

Roeder moved from Corpus Christi, Texas, to Alva to begin this semester at NWOSU. However, he grew up in Minnesota where his parents were both artists. He said, "I guess I would say I was resistant to art. I didn't really explore it too much until I went to college. That's where I got started doing photography and printmaking."

After completing his MFA (masters in fine arts) in printmaking at Texas A & M, Corpus Christi, he spent five years teaching there in all fields including drawing and painting. He's continuing to teach those skills here in Alva.

"I really find teaching is a big, informative part of how I make work," Roeder said. "I am continually inspired by the students or the creative process of coming up with props and projects for the students that they find interesting and they find motivating. It helps me come up with some projects for myself."

Roeder enjoys exploring all kinds of printmaking such as woodcuts, etchings, lithographs and silk screens. He said one of the advantages of printmaking is that "it allows me to make work that can be more affordable." Instead of selling one painting for $1,000, he can sell ten prints at $100 each and bring in the same revenue. "More people get to experience it. More people get to share it. That's what I like about printmaking in general."

He said printmaking also "satisfies the urge we have early on to have attachment to our work. You spend a lot of time on a painting, and it's hard to maybe sell it or give it away. With printmaking, I can make multiple prints of a single image. It allows me to share and if I'm really attached to it, I can save one for myself."

Lars Roeder creatively titles this cactus etching "Another Accusation." His exhibit at Graceful Arts Gallery includes information on how he creates his etchings.

Roeder is one of the featured artists during November at Graceful Arts Gallery in Alva. He said the pieces on display are a series of etchings he started in 2017 and continued to work on the last five years. "I just finished the last few of them for this exhibition. They're all etchings from a single plate and these pieces are cut and collaged into different forms," he said.

His display of cacti not only showcases his printmaking, but it also serves as a teaching tool. The metal plate he uses is displayed along with a description of the process. "The plate itself makes multiple prints of the parts of a cactus, and then all those pieces of a cactus are cut apart and collaged in different ways to make kind of funny or quirky or interesting-looking cacti," he explained. His titles for the works continue that funny or quirky twist.

If you want to contact Roeder about his work, you'll find his email address on the Northwestern website (www.nwosu.edu).

A video of the interview with Roeder may be viewed at http://www.AlvaReviewCourier.com.