July 4th - 27th, 2025
Fountain of Youth:
Celebrating the Restorative Powers
of Water Play
Linocuts by Diana Tonnessen
“Dive into the cool, refreshing waters of any of Florida’s springs, rivers, or lakes and, no matter what your age, you’re bound to feel like a kid again.” –DT
Fountains of Youth is a nostalgic and joyful exploration of Florida’s aquatic treasures—its springs, rivers, lakes, and shorelines—as timeless sources of rejuvenation, escape, and play. This collection of handmade, limited-edition linoleum block prints invites viewers to rediscover the transformative power of water to wash away worry, lift the spirit, and stir childlike wonder.
As a self-taught Florida artist and printmaker, I work in the time-honored linocut tradition, using whimsical imagery, luminous color palettes, and the rustic texture of relief printing to evoke the charm of Old Florida. My linocut prints celebrate a wacky wonderland of alligators and flamingos, mermaids and moss-draped trees, citrus stands and kitschy roadside motels—capturing both the myth and the pre-Disney magic of Florida as one of America’s cherished vacation destinations.
Inspiration for this body of work arose from my family’s trips to Florida—specifically, the epic three-day road trips my family made from New Jersey down U.S. Highways 441 and 301 to my mother’s hometown of Bushnell. I was spellbound by the billboards promoting glass-bottom boats, real mermaids, prehistoric swamp creatures, and legendary spring waters that held the promise of bestowing everlasting youth.
Inspiration for the water-themed works in this exhibit flows from childhood memories of side trips to nearby lakes, springs and rivers while visiting my mother’s family in Central Florida, along with annual summer tubing expeditions down the Ichetucknee River while I was a student at the University of Florida in Gainesville.
Through Fountains of Youth, I celebrate that sense of wonder and invite others to remember the simple magic of jumping into cold water on a hot day. Sometimes, that's all it takes to feel fully alive again.
Creative Process
My linocuts are made entirely by hand using the centuries-old process known as relief block printing (think ‘woodcuts’). I use hand-held gouges and knives to carve a design into a block of linoleum. To pull an impression, I apply ink to the block with a hand-held brayer, place a sheet of paper on the block, and pass the block and paper through a mechanical etching press. All my linocuts are made with archival materials. Accompanying artist’s notes add history and context to many of the places and cultural traditions depicted in my work.
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