The Grand’s latest artist-in-residence Charlie Putnam holds up a fresh print of his latest work, created during his time in The Cellar Press. The lino-relief print was inspired by the recent flooding in the region. A simple house in the background partially submerged among the waves, with a person submerged in the foreground feeding a fish.

NEW ULM – The Grand’s latest artist-in-residence, Charlie Putnam, is learning as he teaches.

Putnam is nearing the end of his two-week residency at The Grand. Over the last few days, he has worked to create multiple new lino relief prints and experimented with older print blocks.

Putnam worked as an art teacher at the Le Sueur–Henderson school district for 29 years and as an adjunct professor at Mankato State University for 28 years. In his nearly 60 years as an art teacher, Putnam has taught nearly every style of art and through teaching, he found a passion for printmaking.

He remembers teaching elementary school students how to create print blocks and realizing he liked it.

“I found myself getting caught up with it,” he said. “It’s kind of a magical experience.”

Recently, Putnam was encouraged to apply for the artist-in-residency program to take advantage of The Grand’s Cellar Press space.

During his two-week stay, he has been fairly prolific. He wanted to start the residency with ready-made print. He brought several of his older printing blocks to run through the Cellar Press equipment. He also began creating new pieces.

Putnam described his process as “doodling with a knife.”

“I don’t know what it will look like until I get done,” he said.

One piece titled “Based on a True Story,” was inspired by the recent weather in Minnesota.

Putnam lives in St. Peter, a short distance from the river, which is flooding. He is used to seeing the river crest and flood near his home. Sometimes the flooding brings fish into the neighborhood. Inspired by the flooding, he carved a relief print depicting a house on the water’s edge. A person is partially submerged in the water as fish swim by.

During the actual printing phase, Putnam created a few black-and-white prints but also experimented with multiple colors. The colors are divided at the image’s waterline. Cool colors represent the water with the warmer colors above the water line.

Most printmakers apply color using inks, but Putnam also incorporated color pencils. By using colored pencils on the paper before applying the ink block he was able to create different shades to the prints.

“I do this because it is fun,” he said. “I spent years teaching kids it could be fun, but now I don’t have to convince them it’s fun, I can just do it.”

Putnam credits his years as teaching for helping him develop as an artist. He explains it in terms of a learning pyramid.

The top of the learning pyramid is classroom instruction.

“You learn the least amount from lectures,” he said.

As you move down the pyramid and get into more hands-on activities students learn more. At the base of the pyramid is teaching.

“You learn the most when you are teaching others,” Putnam said. It was through teaching art that he discovered his passion for printmaking. Though retired, he is still inspired by working with young people.

Putnam’s last day at The Grand is July 8.

The next artist-in-resident, Eliza Ploghoft, will start her residency on Aug. 10 but she will also be teaching a paper-making class on Saturday, July 13 at the Grand.