Liz Morrow 12/27/13 Liz Morrow 12/27/13

siren song.

I've been riding a wave the past year, and I feel like I've reached the crest. I want to go home, which is a broader sentiment than I feel those five words communicate. I heard the siren's song in the distant hum of a small prop plane floating above as I walk Dusty this morning. It's a sound I've heard my whole life, but these days it's a rare pleasure steeped in nostalgia rather than a daily soundtrack. Growing up on the shores of Alaskan lakes, not a day went by that wasn't punctuated by the shrill buzz of a plane taking off, or the soft whirr as one landed. We had our own small plane, a Cessna 180, which was parked at the dock at the bottom of the hill behind our house. As the oldest child, I was the one put in charge of certain float plane duties. I was the one who pumped the floats to make sure any water that had leaked in, either from rain or lake water seeping in during take-off or landing, didn't add extra weight to our flight. Stopping a float plane at a dock involves cutting the prop close enough to the dock that you drift in, but far enough that you slow down enough to not slam into it. It also involves jumping off the floats as soon as you can hop to the dock in order to catch the plane's struts and stop the forward motion. I loved these duties. I felt strong and important and capable, even if they were duties that were relatively simple.

In the winter, planes kept outdoors needed to be covered to ensure that ice and snow did as little damage as possible. Snow also needed to be kept off the wings, otherwise the weight would snap them. In more recent years our plane has been kept indoors in a hangar, but I vividly remember going with my Dad in our Toyota Landcruiser to the airfield to sweep snow off the wings. One year there was so much snow that the pile the plows had made was taller than the planes. I spent more time scaling the mountain of snow than helping, that time. Planes also needed a cover on the engine, in order to keep the engine warm enough to start. I always thought those looked like giant sleeping bags for planes. I remember helping Dad lash the covers down, bringing the elastic straps with plastic balls on the ends to fit in their little nooses.

Tacoma doesn't have a lot of small plane traffic. The planes I hear most often these days are C-17s on final approach to the nearby Air Force/Army base airstrip. Every once in a while, though, I'll hear the familiar buzz of a small plane and intensely miss sitting in the kitchen watching planes land on the frozen lake.

photos from my Dad

Liz Morrow 12/24/13 Liz Morrow 12/24/13

on the outside looking in

This past weekend I was in Sitka, AK to surprise my grandparents with a big family gathering for Christmas. All of their children were there, and all of the grandchildren, save one, were also present. I wonder what it must be like to be in the December of one's life, surrounded by the family you created. I feel blessed beyond words for this family. So many families are plagued by death, illness, family feuds, divorce, or some other schism which has fractured the family and made family gatherings less than joyous. While our family is certainly not immune to familial strife, there is an overwhelming sense of love and peace amidst the multi-generational gathering. It is a shame that I missed out on so many years of my grandparents, due to being young and not understanding their significance and fascinating lives, as well as living a plane flight away which limits visits significantly.

Now they're into their 90's and I wish I had as many years ahead with them as I have behind. I'm seeking out ways which I can continue to commune with them, even if they end up passing on soon, through taking the baton on their projects. Both my grandma and grampa were rather creative people. My grandma hand illustrated dozens of publications, from official nurse midwife childbirth guides for remote native Alaskan villages to yearly christmas cards and family announcements. My grampa carved bowls, spoons, plant vases, napkin holders, and could make nearly anything. For one of my childhood christmases he made me a mobile closet for my american girl doll (Samantha). Another christmas he gave us all scale models of a dog sled which he made exactly how a full size version would be made, only about a food long.Their house is full of his little boxes and spoons, and so is mine. As I sit here typing, a plant grows out of one of his hanging basket containers, decorated with carved Tlingit designs on each side.

I've been wanting to start carving spoons, as he did for decades, and recently found a pair of salad utensils at the thrift store to start experimenting with carving. One of his "famous" designs is a pair of salad utensils with a fish carved into the end of each handle. Every member of my family has one. I received mine as a wedding gift and he's made ones for the other grandkids too, just in case he doesn't live long enough to see their weddings. While in Sitka I found a whole box of salad spoons and forks he carved from scratch. In the box were two drawings my grandma had done which were intended to be wood burned into the handles. A dog sled for one of the set, and a native in a kayak spearing a whale for the other. Grampa let me take them with me to finish. His eyes are now too bad to carve any more.

Coming back to Tacoma I feel a little bit like a fish out of water. I've never been able to shake the feeling that my home will always be the Last Frontier. Going back is like sinking into the warm water of a most perfect hot spring, enveloping me with the feeling that I am where I have always belonged. Perhaps it is more fierce because Alaska truly does flow through my veins. I didn't grow up anywhere near the village where my people spent centuries fishing, but in many ways Alaska feels like one big village, especially in comparison to living "Outside." I never thought much about that term, which all Alaskans are familiar with, which describes anywhere outside of Alaska, usually the Lower 48. But when you are "Outside" and you come back to Alaska it does feel a bit like you were outside in the cold and you are stepping back into the warmth of your cozy home.

Liz Morrow 12/23/13 Liz Morrow 12/23/13

on the beach.

Little Dust is back to her chipper self this week after last week's bout with sickness. These photos are from Thanksgiving when she got to run around on the beach and explore sea smells. She even waded into the water a bit, though she wasn't interested in going any deeper. We'll have to take her swimming in the summer when the water is warmer to see how she feels about being an aquatic pup. I have dreams of corgi flops.

Liz Morrow 12/21/13 Liz Morrow 12/21/13

potato stamped wrapping paper

I bought a couple rolls of Kraft paper last week because I planned on hand stamping it and using it as wrapping paper. I wasn't sure how I wanted to stamp, at the time, but I figured I'd figure it out later. I'd stamped paper with a pencil eraser in the past to create mini polka dots, but that was more time consuming than I wanted, since I'd be needing to wrap multiple gifts. I remembered making potato stamps back in the day, and thought I'd see if that worked, and it did! I haven't done potato stamping since elementary school, but I love it! it worked perfectly for my wrapping paper.
I just used a little potato and cut a triangle into it. I think that simple shapes would probably work best for potato printing, but if you want to go crazy with it, I'm not going to stop you. Little simple Christmas trees would be super easy to cut into a potato as a stamp. I used a stamp ink pad to do my stamping, but acrylic paint would probably also do the job, though it might cause the paper to wrinkle, since paint is wet and may cause the paper to warp when it dries.
Since the paper is simple, I kept the bow simple and just used baker's twine and tied on a sprig of evergreen for color!

Liz Morrow 12/20/13 Liz Morrow 12/20/13

handcrafted for the holidays

It's crazy that Christmas is less than a week away! I spent today stamping kraft paper to pretty it up as wrapping paper, and wrapping a few presents. Our tree looks less naked now that there are presents underneath, even though almost all of them are for other people. Dan and I usually agree that our annual rock gym membership is our Christmas present to each other and try to forego superfluous presents, though as Christmas gets closer I have a hard time not buying a couple fun presents for him. Last year for Dan I splurged on a bottle of fancy Bruichladdich scotch the night before Christmas while on a grocery run, and it actually turned out to last nearly the whole year! My parents mailed us a few presents, though, so at least we'll have something to open on Christmas day. It's hard to "open" a rock gym membership, and it also lacks the element of surprise which is half the fun. I'm a purist when it comes to shaking or peeking at presents, or opening them early. Last year I wouldn't let Dan give me my birthday present early even though he told me it'd be super practical. I did end up opening it a bit early, and I wish I'd caved and opened it even earlier because it was an electric blanket and at the time we were living in the coldest house ever! Sometimes being a purist doesn't make the most sense.

dress + cardigan/via swap :: hat/Dan's :: scarf/h&m :: boots/courtesy of minnetonka
tights/target :: coat/coldwater creek :: beach photos by Dan

We don't have a ton of holiday traditions, but I knew there was one that I wanted to share that is a couple generations old in my family. Every year on Christmas morning my Mom makes a Swedish Tea Ring for breakfast. Since Dan and I have done our last two Christmases up in Alaska with my family I haven't yet had to take the reins on this tradition, but this year we'll be here in Tacoma, so I have to make my own tea ring this year! My mom actually gave me her Betty Crocker cookbook, edges frayed from 30 years of being cracked open, with this recipe in it as a wedding present. There's something so special and unique opening a cookbook passed down, and reading the same ingredients and directions as the women before me. I love the internet and being able to look up pretty much any recipe my heart desires, but there's no substitute for the generational ties folded between the pages of an old cookbook.

Sweet Roll Dough

1 package active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water (105-115F)
1/2 cup lukewarm milk (scalded then cooled)
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup shortening, or butter, softened
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg
3.5-4 cups all-purpose flour

1. Dissolve yeast in warm water in larg bowl.

2. Stir in milk, sugar, butter, salt, egg, and 2 cups of the flour. Beat until smooth. Mix. inenough remaining flour to make dough easy to handle.

3. Turn dough on to lightly floured surface, knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Place in greased bowl, turn greased side up. Cover and let rise in warm place until double, about 1.5 hours. Dough is ready if an indentation remains when touched. (to make ahead: after kneading, dough can be covered and refrigerated in greased bowl no longer than 4 days)

4. Punch down dough. Shape, let rise and bake as directed.

Cinnamon-raisin filling

2 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 cup raisins

Glaze

Mix 1 c. powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon milk, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla until glaze is smooth and of desired consistency

Swedish Tea Ring

1. Roll 1/2 Sweet Roll Dough into rectangle, 15x9 inches, on lightly floured surface.

2. Spread butter over rectangle, sprinkle with brown sugar, cinnamon, and raisins.

3. Roll up tightly, beginning at 15-inch side. Pinch edge of dough into roll to seal well.

4. Stretch roll to make even. With sealed edge down, shape into ring on lightly greased cookie sheet.Pinch ends together.

5. With scissors, make cuts 2/3 of the way through ring at 1-inch intervals. Turn each section on its side. Let rise until double, about 40 minutes.

6. Heat oven to 375F. Bake until golden brown , 25-30 mins. (If tea ring browns too quickly, cover loosely with aluminum foil.

7. Spread ring with glaze and, if desired, decorate with nuts or cherries while warm.

Hi, I’m Liz

I'm an artist, writer, designer, DIY renovator, and … well basically I like to do all the things. If it’s creative I’m probably doing it. I’ve spent over 30 years voraciously pursuing a life steeped in creativity and I wholeheartedly believe creativity and joy are inextricably linked.
Read more…

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Featured

Women's Work Wayzgoose 2026 Steamroller Print

$350.00

Lino relief print created during the 2026 Wayzgoose Steamroller Print event in Tacoma. Each print was pressed using a 1.5 ton steamroller. See the entire process here!

The Wayzgoose theme this year was Tacoma Works, a celebration of the labor history of Tacoma, labor solidarity, Tacoma industry, and what work in Tacoma looks like.

As I thought about the theme, I realized I wanted to highlight the unpaid labor that women do, all the work that doesn't get acknowledged as “real work" and goes uncompensated but quietly forms the backbone of society. Care work, cooking and cleaning, household management, pregnancy and child rearing, carrying the emotional and mental load, etc.

I wanted to use the imagery of a quilt because this devaluing of "women's work" has extended into the art world by deeming mediums historically associated with women as merely "craft" - lots of fiber art, quilting, embroidery: highly skilled and artistically incredible work that wasn't considered "fine art."

Women's work is the thread that stitches everything together. It's the thread that goes unnoticed and under appreciated, but without it, everything would fall apart.

When I say “women’s work” I don’t mean that only women engage in these types of work, but historically these types of unpaid labor have fallen vastly upon women. I also don’t mean that women don’t or haven’t engaged in paid labor and industry throughout Tacoma’s history, they obviously have. To me, “women’s work” is the phrase that embodies how we devalue certain types of labor typically associated with women, and can extend into forms of paid labor— why is it that teachers are so underpaid in our society? Could it have anything to do with teaching having been a workforce of primarily women historically?

So when we talk about women’s work we’re talking about things like care work, elder care, feeding a family, procuring groceries, household management, keeping a home clean and stocked, rearing children, pregnancy, birthing and breastfeeding, emotional labor, mental load, community building and organizing. Without these forms of “women’s work” our society would unravel.

Women's work is work. The labor and industry history in Tacoma could not have happened without the women in the background supporting it all with the work they did that wasn't considered real work.

Tacoma Works because Women Work.

—

Due to the nature of printing outdoors, on the ground, with a steam roller, there are variations and slight imperfections from print to print.

Prints ship rolled in a cardboard tube.
Local pickup is in Central Tacoma.

Paper size: 30.5 x 44 in
Print size: 24 x 36 in

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Mutual Relief Print

$65.00

Hand-pressed original linoleum block print.

When we live mutually we support one another, live in community, love one another.

—

✸ Handprinted on an etching press with archival inks
✸ Linoleum Relief Print
✸ 12×18"
✸ Signed, edition of 15
✸ Ships flat

Due to the handmade nature of these prints, there is some slight variation between each individual print.

Sold out

Talix̂tas Relief Print

$70.00

Hand-pressed original linoleum block print.

Unangax̂ dancing has seen a beautiful revitalization in the past few decades, and this piece is dedicated to the dancers who spent their lives reawakening Unangax̂ dancing, and to the dancers in the coming generations who will carry it forward.

50% of the proceeds of this print go towards disaster relief for the devastation Western Alaska is experiencing from the impact of typhoon Halong.

—

✸ Handprinted on an etching press with archival inks on Arnhem Warm White 245gsm (100% Cotton Rag, Acid Free)
✸ Linoleum Relief Print
✸ 14×20"
✸ Signed, edition of 50
✸ Ships flat

Due to the handmade nature of these prints, there is some slight variation between each individual print.

Sold out

Flock Together Relief Print

$70.00

Hand-pressed original linoleum block print.

On the last day of my artist residency in Sitka, my kiddo’s homesickness hit its peak. We’d been away from home for almost a month and they didn’t want me to leave that morning to go to the museum. So I invited them to come with me and told them I’d draw them a goose— sometimes I call them “goose” which I think was initially a shortening of “silly goose” but now I just use Goose.

This print came out of that drawing. Two hugging geese— mom and child, lovers, friends. For me, this is a depiction of me and Jack, but for you? Who is your goose who needs a hug that feels like home?

—

✸ Handprinted on an etching press with archival inks
✸ Linoleum Relief Print
✸ 12×18"
✸ Signed, edition of 25
✸ Ships flat

Due to the handmade nature of these prints, there is some slight variation between each individual print.

Sold out

Fucus Distichus Relief Print

$30.00

Hand pressed original linoleum block print.

Inspired by the beautiful seaweed teeming on the shores of Sitka Sound.

✸ Handprinted on a lever press with archival inks on Arnhem Stonehenge Warm White 245gsm (100% Cotton Rag, Acid Free)
✸ Linoleum Relief Print
✸ 6×8"
✸ Signed, edition of 50
✸ Ships flat

Due to the handmade nature of these prints, there is some slight variation between each individual print.

Sold out

Kith Relief Print

$65.00

Hand-pressed original linoleum block print.

We are not separate from nature, we are a part of it, despite the capitalist and religious values that have convinced many that we are set on earth to dominate, extract, and conquer her. We are one part of the circle.

—

✸ Handprinted on an etching press with archival inks on Arnhem Warm White 245gsm (100% Cotton Rag, Acid Free)
✸ Linoleum Relief Print
✸ 16×16"
✸ Signed, edition of 20
✸ Ships flat

Due to the handmade nature of these prints, there is some slight variation between each individual print.

Sold out

Sea Kin Giclée Print

from $17.00

Giclée print reproduction of the original linoleum relief print. This is not an original relief print. Because size and pricing can be prohibitive on a larger print such as the original print, I wanted to offer a reproduction giclée version in a couple sizes slightly smaller than the original.

You can see the original steamroller print here.

—

This print was inspired by a dream I had shortly before leaving for Sitka. In the dream I swam all the way from Tacoma to Sitka, then upon arriving in Sitka I was out on a spit of land across the water from town and a huge tsunami wave tossed me into the sea. I was tumbling underwater, the ocean was opaque from the wave kicking up silt, and I realized I couldn’t tell up from down to find the surface and was going to drown, alone beneath the waves. I woke up in a start— it was one of those almost-too-real dreams that had you wake with your heart racing. Later that day I was ruminating on the dream and realized that while I felt alone underwater because I couldn’t see anything, I wasn’t actually alone. I was surrounded by kin: Salmon guiding me to the headwaters of a stream, kelp growing towards upwards to guide me to the surface, seals who could pull me along.

I spent the first week of my residency carving the linoleum, then we got our steamroller rental delivered and printed! The steamroller was a little smaller than the ones we use for Wayzgoose so I wasn’t sure if it would be heavy enough, but it worked perfectly and we ended up with nine prints. So many people came out to watch and it was such a blast getting to do another steamroller print!

—

Prints ship rolled in a cardboard tube.

Sizes available:

12×18 and 16x24 in.

What is a giclée print?

Giclée printing (pronounced zhee-clay) is a type of inkjet printing, but not all inkjet prints are giclée prints. The intention of giclée printing is to produce a product at a higher quality and with a longer lifespan than a standard desktop inkjet printer. For a giclée print, the paper must be of archival quality. The biggest difference between a standard inkjet print and a giclee print is that giclées are printed using pigment-based inks rather than dye-based inks that are found in lower-cost inkjets. Pigment-based inks have a longer lifespan: they can last anywhere from 100 - 200 years without significant fading.

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Sitka Swirls Relief Print

$45.00

Hand pressed original linoleum block print.

Inspired by the beautiful kelp teeming in the waters of Sitka Sound.

✸ Handprinted on a lever press with archival inks on Arnhem Stonehenge Warm White 245gsm (100% Cotton Rag, Acid Free)
✸ Linoleum Relief Print
✸ 8×10"
✸ Signed, edition of 100
✸ Ships flat

Due to the handmade nature of these prints, there is some slight variation between each individual print.

Sold out

Haanux̂ Lessons Relief Print

$55.00

Hand-pressed original linoleum block print.

The sockeye salmon—Haanux̂—is the ubiquitous presence in the Alaska Native subsistence life. My family has spent generations harvesting haanux̂ from the icy waters of Bristol Bay, and wrote this poem while reflecting on the wisdom of a salmon’s instincts. A salmon lesson.

I know when to swim
upstream
pushing through
the current
called by an invisible
siren
home

and I know
when to let my body
be carried by the waves
weightless
and effortlessly
gliding

—

✸ Handprinted on an etching press with archival inks on Legion Stonehenge White 250gsm (100% Cotton Rag, Acid Free)
✸ Linoleum Relief Print
✸ 11×14"
✸ Signed, open edition
✸ Ships flat

Due to the handmade nature of these prints, there is some slight variation between each individual print.

Sold out

Qanglaaĝix̂ Relief Print

$55.00

Hand-pressed original linoleum block print.

The raven is a creature of myth and magic, mischief and majesty. These talkative and playful corvids punctuate my time spent in Alaska, croaking to one another as I pad through moss-filled ancient forests. This print connects the Raven to her habitat— Kelp strewn on rocky southeast beaches, salmonberries and ferns tangled beneath pines, and the punctuation of bright fuchsia fireweed against grey skies. They talk to me and I talk back. Qanglaaĝix̂— Raven.

✸ Handprinted on an etching press with archival inks on Legion Stonehenge White 250gsm (100% Cotton Rag, Acid Free)
✸ Linoleum Relief Print
✸ 11×14"
✸ Signed, open edition
✸ Ships flat

Due to the handmade nature of these prints, there is some slight variation between each individual print.

Sold out

Raven Sticker

$4.00

Matte Die Cut Sticker

Dimensions: 2.2" x 3"

Vinyl stickers are the OG multipurpose sticker. This material is strong, reliable, and versatile, perfect for indoor or outdoor use. Stickers made on our vinyl material will withstand any kind of weather, will hang on through the dishwasher, and are UV protected so they will stay shiny and vibrant for up to 4 years.

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Home Sweet Tacoma Relief Print- Small Version

$55.00

Hand pressed original linoleum block print.

This ode to the salty and sweet city we call home is a small version of my 2024 Wayzgoose steamroller print, which will be pressed live on May 4th at the Wayzgoose event at Moore Library here in Tacoma! Grab this small version, and come check out the 2ft x 3ft version get printed with a steamroller at the event!

Want a sticker version? Grab a sticker too!

✸ Handprinted on an etching press with archival inks on Legion Stonehenge White 250gsm (100% Cotton Rag, Acid Free)
✸ Linoleum Relief Print
✸ 11×14"
✸ Signed, open edition
✸ Ships flat

Due to the handmade nature of these prints, there is some slight variation between each individual print.

Sold out

LIMITED EDITION: Halfway Somewhere Screen Print

$40.00

6 color hand pulled original screen print, including shimmery gold ink on the sun which catches the light beautifully.

Size:
11 1/4 x 14 in

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ORIGINAL You'll Like Tacoma Wayzgoose 2025 Steamroller Print

$300.00

Lino relief print created during the 2025 Wayzgoose Steamroller Print event in Tacoma. Each print was pressed using a 1.5 ton steamroller. See the entire process here!

The Wayzgoose theme this year was Make Some Noise, a celebration of the music of Tacoma, bands from Tacoma, songs about Tacoma, and music venues in Tacoma. It was so fun seeing all the different interpretations of the theme. Here’s mine:

“Where’s that confounded bridge?” Led Zeppelin’s The Crunge’s final lyrics ask. What is a song’s bridge? A musical change of pace, intended to provide contrast to the rest of the composition. Here in the Northwest we’re the bridge. We’re not the fancy metropolitan city of Seattle, we’re not a densely wooded small town or coastal hamlet, and we aren’t rolling fields of agricultural land. We’re something different. Something gritty and creative. We’ve got a little bit of funk to us, and I’m not just talking about the aroma. We strut to the beat of our own rhythm. Blue collar, grunge, and art all steeped together under the watchful eye of our namesake peak.

And then there’s the bridge, or should I say bridges. We’re perched on our peninsula jutting out into the Puget sound, anchored on west and east by bridges— Tacoma Narrows, Murray Morgan, and the E 21st St bridge.

In this piece I wanted to share a poem about the music of Tacoma, it’s people, it’s land, the interweaving of everything we hear when we close our eyes in the middle of the city. Tacoma has birthed many amazing artists, some nationally known, like Neko Case, some with cult Tacoma followings, like Girl Trouble— but I like to think we are all a part of the song of Tacoma, being sung throughout the ages as we build our lives between bridges in this little gritty city, “a dusty old jewel on the south Puget Sound.”

—

Due to the nature of printing outdoors, on the ground, with a steam roller, there are variations and slight imperfections from print to print.

Prints ship rolled in a cardboard tube.
Local pickup is in Central Tacoma.

Paper size: 30.5 x 44 in
Print size: 24 x 36 in

Sold out

ORIGINAL Home Sweet Tacoma Wayzgoose 2024 Steamroller Print

from $275.00

Lino relief prints created during the 2024 Wayzgoose Steamroller Print event in Tacoma. Each print was pressed using a 1.5 ton steamroller. See the entire process here!

The Wayzgoose theme this year was Sweet and Salty. There are so many ways in which Tacoma is both Sweet and Salty. Her people are the salt of the earth. She's nestled within the salty waters of the Puget Sound. Folks here feel a little salty about Tacoma changing— "Keep Tacoma Feared" is the refrain to maintain a Tacoma that’s an underdog, a sweet secret that only her residents could truly appreciate.

For those of us who call Tacoma "home," it's a sweet place filled with a vibrant creative community, balanced against the contrast of a salt-of-the-earth blue collar community often symbolized by our bustling seaport.

That's what this piece represents. Gritty Tacoma, sweet and salty, arts and labor, a little rough around the edges, but a sweet treasure we call home.

—

Due to the nature of printing outdoors, on the ground, with a steam roller, there are variations and slight imperfections from print to print. Prints 2 and 3 have some slight smudging (shown in the images).

Prints ship rolled in a cardboard tube.

Paper size: 30.5 x 44 in
Print size: 24 x 36 in

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