Gwen Frostic: Unconquerable Spirit

Gwen Frostic loved nature.  She loved all nature―animals, birds, plants, snow, stars―but she seemed to have a special fondness for trees.  In her book, These Things are Ours, she wrote “somehow a tree exemplifies a great unconquerable spirit”.
From all accounts, Frostic knew a thing or two about unconquerable spirits.
Frostic was an artist, author and entrepreneur known for her naturalist block print artwork and artisan stationery items.  She single-handedly built a multi-million-dollar business, Presscraft Papers, at a time when the number of successful business women could be counted on one hand.  And she did it her own way, by creating and selling her own art!
Interestingly, Presscraft Papers was not her first attempt at an art-based business.  After leaving university to “make a living”, Frostic created and sold copper and brass items such as fireplace screens, sundials, vases and clocks under a business she called Metalcraft.  Her metalwork business was quite successful―even enjoying the patronage of high-profile clients like Clara and Henry Ford.  Unfortunately, World War II broke out and metal supplies became so scarce Frostic had to close her Metalcraft business.  She did not, however, give up!  Instead, she chose a different medium and Presscraft Papers was born.

Her love of nature was reflected in her artwork.  Frostic once said “I work with nature because it treats me equally”.  Perhaps this comment was triggered by the health challenges she faced at a young age.  As noted on the National Park Service website “At eight months of age, [Frostic] was sickened by a fever of unknown origins, later thought to be polio. Shortly thereafter, she became lame, her mouth drooped, her hands were stiff, and she spoke with a slight slur. ‘Experts’ saw a limited life for her, in both length and quality. Her parents, Sara and Fred Frostic, did not agree. They did not coddle Ms. Frostic, and instead imbued in her an independence and toughness which served her well through her extraordinary life. She went to school and was expected to do household chores, just like her siblings. Later in life, she reprimanded those who called her handicapped.”
I first learned about Frostic, over 20 years ago, when we lived in Michigan and I visited her extraordinary studio/ workshop/ gift shop in the northern woods of Michigan.  Frostic, a native Michigander, lived there her entire life (1906 – 2001).  She shared her love for the flora and fauna of her home state through Presscraft Papers from its inception in 1945 until her death at age 94.
In another example of her unconquerable spirit, Frostic was a single woman in her fifties, when she moved her business to a remote location in Benzonia.  “The townspeople wondered at the logic of moving a perfectly good, thriving business out of downtown Frankfort with its summer tourist crowds, but that was exactly what she did. She called her new home … The Frog Pond.” reports the National Park Service website.
Here are a few photos of the Gwen Frostic Studio from a recent real estate listing.
In its heyday, the Studio was a beehive of activity.  Visitors wandered around the premises taking in the ingenious ways in which natural elements had been incorporated into the building.  The indoor fountain, for instance, was a large, floor-to-ceiling, natural stone wall with trickling water from a natural flowing well.
Boulders from the local countryside formed the walls.  Rough-hewn lumber and driftwood formed the shelves and displays for the gift shop merchandise.  Fern prints and animal tracks marked the concrete floors.

The gift shop sold a variety of paper-based products showcasing Frostic’s artwork including recipe cards, scratch pads, tote bags, calendars, greeting cards, blank journals, folders, notepaper and wrapping paper.  But the best item, the thing I couldn’t resist, was her art books.
Frostic published 22 unique books between 1957 and 1999.   The 2005-2006 Gwen Frostic Prints catalog offers this description “Books by Gwen Frostic   Words blend with block-prints – – block-prints with papers – – – and the whole becomes a book. . . . Each is beautifully bound with hard covers, each has a character all its own. . . Words of sunshine and of rain. . words of searching. . and of hope – and always – of the greatness of trees and things…..”
Shown below is the title page from Frostic’s book Ruminate.  The text reads “Thoughts and Block-prints by Gwen Frostic”.

Let’s take a closer look inside some of Frostic’s books.  The page spread shown below is from A Walk with Me.  A small grasshopper sitting on a single blade of grass is printed in green ink on the left page.  While the right page features a sturdy tree trunk with gnarled branches printed in earthy browns and greens.  The text reads:
“Let’s just wander here and there – – – –
like leaves floating in the autumn air
and look at common little things – – – – –
stones on the beach – – –
flowers turning into berries . . . . . .
. . . . from the winds we’ll catch a bit
of that wondrous feeling that comes – – –
– – not from seeing – – – –
but from being part of nature . . . . . ”

This next page spread, also from A Walk with Me, features a majestic pine tree backed by a gorgeous sunset.  Frostic writes “…the winds catch the delicate seeds of the pines as the cones open and set their wings free… the migration of the trees is taking place … and a new tree is growing . . . . . a tree that in many years to come will stand upright in majestic individuality – – – – and bring inspiration to all who see”.  She wraps up with the thoughtful observation that “as long as there are trees in tiny seeds – – – there will be miracles on earth”.
“A Frostic book is instantly recognizable: hardcover, no jacket, every page a different kind of paper, and simple but beautiful illustrations on every spread. Frostic created everything you see in her books, from the myriad papers to the exquisitely printed illustrations to the wisps of free verse that flow across the pages.” reports the website TomFolio. “If you examine a Frostic book more closely, you’ll find the front board covered in smooth, colored paper and illustrated with a simple but elegant block print depicting some natural object. The spine and rear will likely be bound in a differently colored, differently textured paper. No text will be found on the covers except a subdued title on the front.”  It’s an accurate description of the front covers on my books.
While the front covers are decidedly understated, the books’ contents are anything but.  “Inside the book, you’ll be amazed by the many and various fancy papers, some smooth, some textured, some embossed, some mottled, some like tissue paper, some translucent. Many pages will have deckle (ragged) edges while others will be neatly trimmed. Earth-toned papers and earth-toned inks will be heavily favored. The text will be gracefully designed and will not appear on every page. Each spread will be individual and unique, a beautiful work of art in itself.”
Here’s an example of a stunning, multi-colored, two-page spread from the book To Those Who See.

I wouldn’t presume to know how Frostic achieved this outstanding print but I do know there are typically several steps involved.  Some time ago, I had the opportunity to view a printmaking demonstration at the John C Campbell Folk School.  It was intriguing to see the various steps required to work from real-life object, a giant pine cone in this case, to final print.

The first step is to create a design either with a freehand sketch or a photo reference.  Next, the design is transferred to a sheet of linoleum.  Just to clarify, the linoleum used for printmaking is not the same linoleum that was used to cover floors in the late 1800s.  Instead, several alternative substances, such as Battleship Gray and Soft-Kut, are available to carve for block printing.  These substances are sometimes mounted on thin wooden blocks.
The linoleum block shown below illustrates different stages of carving: a rough sketch is visible at the bottom, a final sketch can be seen in the stained area, and some material has been carved away near the top.  The idea is to carve away any areas from the design where you want the paper to show through.
Here’s a block which has been completely carved.  Notice how the artist chose to remove the linoleum from the background on the right side while leaving it in place on the left side.
Next, ink is rolled onto the surface of the linoleum block―care is taken to ensure an appropriate amount of ink is applied in an even coat.  Then the inked block is pressed on the surface to be printed.  In this case, it was printed on a sheet of paper.  Notice how the print is a mirrored image of the carved block.
Returning back to Frostic’s process.  Frostic was famous for her realistic natural images which she sketched in the wild.  “Ms. Frostic developed walking trails around the property and pond, and along the trails were ‘sketching places’, small screened-in ‘huts’ where she could sketch without being bitten by insects.” reports the National Park Service website.  She spent time sketching but she also observed, studied and analyzed her subjects.
When an interviewer asked Frostic “What is creativity? And what is the source for your own creativity?” in a 1985 video-recorded interview for WMU (Western Michigan University) Presents, she answered: “It’s part of you. It begins with knowledge. You will never get an idea about something you know nothing about. I don’t care how long you look at the beautiful woods or anything else. Ideas only come from knowledge.”  She went on to add that deep thinking, dreaming and work were also important.
Based on photos like the one shown below, it’s evident Frostic used linoleum mounted on wood blocks to carve her designs.  “Gwen, working hard to create a new block.” reads the caption on this image from the Gwen Frostic Prints account on Instagram.  “There are thousands of blocks in the studio: each one individually designed and hand carved by Gwen herself.  We are constantly inspired by these amazing works of art and her ability to bring the wilderness of Michigan into our homes and hearts.”

In this next image, one of Frostic’s carved block is shown alongside the resulting print.
Experts report, Frostic carved over 2200 linoleum blocks during her career.  This image shows shelves and shelves filled with carved blocks.  The caption reads “So many blocks we can’t fit them all in one picture.”
Frostic used a technique called letterpress printing to print her designs and the associated text on her carefully selected papers.  At its peak, Presscraft Papers used over a dozen Heidelberg Platen Presses.  This image shows one of the presses in operation.
Part of the magic of a Frostic print comes from the colors.  The folks at Gwen Frostic Prints share the inside scoop in this post―“The colors for every print [are] specifically mixed together using the primary colors (and a few extras).  For each color on one print, it is mixed by hand and run through the presses once for every individual color!  That means, if your print has 4 colors, it ran through the presses 4 separate times, until the final picture was complete.  This is what makes all of the prints so wonderfully unique.”
Sprinkled throughout Frostic’s books, are translucent pages printed on paper vellum.  These pages showcase her designs in an extraordinary way.  In the below example, from The Infinite Destiny, a graceful tree is cloaked in pink blossoms.
With a gentle turn of the vellum page, the pink blossoms and the green grass are stripped away and only the bare tree remains.  Genius!
Over the years, Frostic became known as a philosopher.  She shared her insights in her books but also at various speaking engagements.  I’ll wrap up with a final quote from one of Frostic’s luncheon lectures.
“I think that all of us should have a tree that we could look up to – – – a tree that can give you inspiration in time of need.  Pick out your own tree and relate to it.  Every time you need a source of inspiration – – – it will be there for you to look at.  A tree may be hit by lightning and it goes on living – – – you know that you too can meet the storms of life and go on living because your tree did.  A tree with each year – – – amid all the twigs – – – a new bud is formed – – – the limbs will grow a little longer – – – the tips of the branches will remain forever young.  The same with you – – – each day you reach a little further – – – each day you learn something new – – – the tips of your mind will remain forever young – – – no matter how many years you count on your birthday.”

More Info

The following Gwen Frostic books are mentioned in this blog post:
. These Things are Ours
. Ruminate
. A Walk with Me
. To Those Who See
. The Infinite Destiny
. Synthesis.
The following resources were consulted in writing this blog post:
. National Park Service website.  The Gwen Frostic Studio was officially listed on the National Parks Service National Register of Historic Places in 2021.  This program works to “coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.”
. Great Lakes Realty and Auction – Property Listing for Historic Turn-Key Business for Sale Outside of Traverse City.  The Gwen Frostic Studio was listed for sale in 2022―it’s unclear if the property was sold.
. TomFolio website which is a reference for Used and Rare Books, Periodicals, and Paper Ephemera.
. WMU (Western Michigan University) Presents video by MatthewsVideo1 published in 1985
. Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame website – Sara Gwendolyn “Gwen” Frostic.
There are several great online articles and resources regarding Gwen Frostic:
. Gwen Frostic website
. Gwen Frostic Prints on Instagram
. More than Petticoats – Remarkable Michigan Women written by Julia Pferdehirt and published in 2007.  This book is available here on Internet Archives
To learn all about Gwen Frostic and her unconquerable spirit, check out her biography, The Life and Wisdom of Gwen Frostic, written by Sheryl James and published in 1999.

Today’s Takeaways
1. Gwen Frostic was a talented artist, philosophical poet and shrewd entrepreneur known for her naturalist block print art.
2. “Somehow a tree exemplifies a great unconquerable spirit.”  Gwen Frostic
3. “As long as there are trees in tiny seeds – – – there will be miracles on earth”.  Gwen Frostic