ART AS WITNESS: INK, ECOLOGY, & ACTIVISM By Mackenzie Mayhem Cal Waichler is a printmaker whose work is shaped by time in the mountains, on rivers, at sea, and through methodical fieldwork. Both artist and scientist, she draws from wild landscapes like the North Cascades, Alaska, and Patagonia. Her prints reflect a deep engagement with ecological change and the everyday realities of life in these environments. Blending observation and interpretation, Cal uses a range of printmaking techniques and text to translate scientific and personal experience into layered visual narratives. With a background in environmental science and a practice grounded in fieldwork and community, her work carries clarity and urgency without losing sight of beauty or nuance. In the conversation that follows, she shares insight into her process, her values, and the evolving role of art in environmental storytelling.
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Mackenzie: To start, could you share a bit about your background and how you first found your way to printmaking? How has your relationship with the medium evolved over time? Cal: I grew up in the Methow Valley and my first experience with printmaking was in elementary school. I think it was a Methow Arts-sponsored block print workshop! I remember loving it, but didn’t get the chance to print again until college. I jumped into printmaking in my first semester and was in the print studio every semester after that, eventually becoming a teacher’s assistant and creating a big body of work about glaciers my senior year. I majored in Environmental Science, and printmaking was my outlet to digest and go deeper into the environmental science issues I found interesting. Since college I’ve been learning how to adapt my visions to a low-tech, on-the-go art practice that draws inspiration from what I am currently up to!
CAL WAICHLER