Rachel Mentzer
Atom Gallery / Artists / Rachel Mentzer
Collagraph printmaker · Ohio, USA · Represented by Atom Gallery, London
Rachel Mentzer is an award-winning American printmaker based in Ohio whose collagraphs are carved from discarded cartons and found cardboard. Her dusky, textural prints picture birds perched on power lines, pylons and water towers - reflecting on how nature adapts to the human-built world.
About the artist
Mentzer works almost entirely from materials destined for the landfill. She flattens cartons and packaging, then carves their delicate surfaces with motifs of birds, trees and energy infrastructure before sealing each plate in polyurethane to ready it for the press. The result is a body of work in which the silhouette of the original carton remains visible — every print a reminder of the relationship between people, waste and the natural world.
Her direction took shape during the pandemic, when she enrolled in a community printmaking workshop. Largely self-taught in the techniques she now uses, she gathers reference material through birdwatching and photography, sketches her compositions, and translates them onto hand-built plates. Nature's resilience and environmental renewal sit at the centre of everything she makes.
Technique: collagraphy
Collagraphy is an intaglio printmaking method in which a plate is built up from flattened materials — card, paper, leaves or found objects — rather than etched into metal. Mentzer inks her carved carton plates, wipes away the excess, and runs a dampened sheet through an etching press. The pressure pushes ink into every handmade and incidental mark, creating crisp outlines over richly textured grounds. She occasionally introduces chine-collé, layering delicate coloured papers to add warmth and depth.
Recognition & exhibitions
Mentzer's work was recently featured by Colossal in the article "Rachel Mentzer Transforms Discarded Cartons into Dusky Collagraphs" (April 2026). She has shown in the Manhattan Graphics Center community print studio exhibition and was selected for the Suzanne Wilson Artist-in-Residence Program at the Glen Arbor Arts Center in Michigan. She also teaches, passing her recycled-collagraph methods on through printmaking classes.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Rachel Mentzer?
An award-winning American printmaker based in Ohio, known for collagraphs made from recycled cardboard that explore birds, nature and urban infrastructure.
What technique does she use?
Collagraphy — an intaglio method. She carves discarded cartons into printing plates, seals them, inks them and prints on an etching press, often adding colour with chine-collé.
What does her work depict?
Birds on power lines, pylons, water towers and trees — themes of sustainability and nature's adaptability to human-built environments.
Where can I buy her prints in the UK?
Limited edition prints are available through Atom Gallery, 127 Green Lanes, London N16 9DA.
Limited edition collagraph prints by Rachel Mentzer are available at Atom Gallery, contemporary printmakers, 127 Green Lanes, London N16 9DA.
Artist's website: rachelmentzerart.com · Instagram: @rachelmentzerart
A hand-printed collagraph chine collé depicting birds gathered along electrical wires cutting through a wooded landscape. Recycled cardboard plates are carved, sealed, inked and printed by hand, with Kozo papers applied through chine collé to add layered colour and depth and emphasise the contrast between organic forms and constructed lines. Sold framed and ready to hang in a solid oak frame with AR70 anti-reflective glass.
Artist Rachel Mentzer
Artwork Size 28 x 35.5cm (11 x 14in)
Framed Size 43 x 35cm
Frame Solid oak with AR70 anti-reflective glass
Medium Collagraph chine collé
Edition Size 30