Artist Lyell Castonguay holds one of his block prints, SNOW FLURRY, depicting two mourning doves in the snow. Submitted photo

LIVERMORE FALLS — Lyell Castonguay is a local artist and art teacher most known for his large wooden block prints.

Growing up in Livermore Falls, he began drawing at the age of eight. The youngest of six kids, Castonguay told the Livermore Falls Advertiser over the phone that he felt a little lonely at times. But living in a more secluded part of town, there was little to be distracted by so Castonguay took up drawing.

“I spent a lot of time just doodling and kind of getting lost in my own world,” he said.

Castonguay looked up to his eldest brother who enjoyed art as well.

“I was just amazed how he sort of had the ability to draw relatively,” Castonguay said. “I wouldn’t say effortlessly, but he just had a knack for it and so, you know, I was inspired by him.”

Castonguay shared that there were other people who motivated him to pursue his passion in art as well. His freshman English teacher, Mrs. Hatfield, at Livermore Falls High School quickly realized that Castonguay enjoyed art. He said that he wasn’t even fully aware of his passion for art until Hatfield pointed it out.

“She gave me the project of illustrating a book for her,” Castonguay said. “It was for one of her grandkids, I believe, if I remember correctly. It was a story about a sailboat. So she was like, ‘oh I have a story here and like why don’t you illustrate it and make some art for it’ and that was a really pivotal point for me, you know, being a freshman in high school, to have a task that was art based. And it was given to me by an adult, an authority figure.”

Castonguay attended the New Hampshire Institute of Art and obtained his Bachelor’s Degree in illustration. While there, he learned that lifestyle and business often flow into each other when it comes to art.

INTO THIN AIR B&W, a block print of an Atlantic Puffin in mid-flight created by artist Lyell Castonguay. Submitted photo

After he graduated, he began working at a community printing shop in Massachusetts. This was when he started to be known for his large wooden block prints, illustrations made from carving images into wood, applying ink, and making impressions on paper like a stamp. While there, everyone shared equipment and processes and Castonguay began teaching others. He soon realized that for him, teaching was a sustainable way to live off of his passion while also having time to create art for himself.

“From teaching in that community shop, I kind of learned that it’s hard to teach this process to people in a three-day workshop. There’s just not enough time.”

This notion led to the foundation of his company BIG INK in 2012. Lyell set out with his company in search of like-minded people interested in learning the process of block-printing.

Castonguay began teaching workshops on large wooden block printing with BIG INK, but the biggest challenge was the large equipment required. He was traveling to studios that had large-format presses in order to host workshops, as there weren’t many available for public use. But in 2016, $13,000 was raised to obtain a press he named The Big Tuna that could easily travel. From then on, he was able to take his business and lessons to cities all over the country.

“The primary focus, I think, of most businesses is to make money obviously, right?” said Castonguay. “And that’s important, but for me, in the arts, what’s important is building sense of community with other people. Because as a creative type of person, the most valuable things you have are your own time and connections to other people so that you can share your work with them. And this business has allowed me to do that and of course, make a living, but I’m always wondering, like, how I can deepen the connection with other people or get people more excited about this process who’ve maybe never done it before and get them involved.”

In terms of advice for others interested in pursuing art, Castonguay touched on the importance of routine practice. He said that he enjoys drawing and carving along to music and will often create art for the duration of an entire album. For him it is a meditative practice. He expressed the importance of setting aside time to create.

Castonguay also said that meeting new people and making connections is important, though it can be a little harder to find opportunities in an area such as Livermore Falls.

“You can do a certain amount of stuff online,” he said. “You can do all the social media stuff, which is important, but those face-to-face interactions with people are so huge. So if you see an art show or if you see anything that intrigues you, make an effort to try to get out there and when you’re there, whoever’s doing the show, try to talk to them. Introduce yourself, get out there and try to meet other people.”

Anyone interested in learning wood block printing can visit www.bigink.org. Those interested in Lyell Castonguay’s work can visit www.lyellcastonguay.com.