Tag: Linocut

Slow and Steady

Block Printing is a tactile experience. My hands not only hold and maneuver blocks, cutting tools, rollers, inks, and press parts, they also gauge the pressure. A certain amount of force determines the width of a cut and the depth. The V and U blades remove wider strips from the block with more pressure and finer strips come away with less pressure.

Too much force upon a block to the printing surface can cause unwanted smudges, halos, or other changes to the image transfer. Some blocks only require hand painting. Some patterns are most easily achieved with hand printing. My Llama project bags are one of my favorite hand printing tasks. It can be a bit slower than others to complete yet I enjoy the opportunity to slow down and still accomplish my task.

What do you enjoy doing slowly?

Spring Demonstration Day

Demonstration days have become a nice addition to the events of the Guild schedule. We guild members rarely have an opportunity to gather unless for a market and while we certainly offer our crafts on Demonstration Day my favorite part is getting to visit with fellow makers. We always enjoy seeing what projects each is getting up to.

Of course, sharing the process with the public is always fun too. Some watch and listen their reaction including an “aha!” moment when they see the print made. Then others receive the information with an energy of almost bursting to share that they too have made such prints. I’m glad for both reactions.

I hope those in wonder try it and I hope those who excitedly tell me about their past experiences with printmaking decide to take it up again. Perhaps they will consider joining the guild and be among us for the next Demonstration Day on the other side of the table.

All set up ready to talk block printing!
Kathryn White brought her Woodzilla press for us to demonstrate!

Art Festivals

The past two weeks have been full of re-stocking prints, cards, and making a couple new offerings. I’ve enjoyed seeing the drying space in my tiny studio fill up with rows of llamas, flowers, and woodland creatures in bright colors. Saturday April 26th I’ll be set up in booth 141 for Double Decker Arts Festival in Oxford, MS. Hopefully I’ll see some of you there!

The next art festival will be in Baton Rouge, LA on May 10th. I’ll set up at the Mid City Makers Market portion of the art crawl from 5 – 10 PM! Excited to join such enthusiastic and wonderful vendors again in May. Unlike most of their monthly markets, this one is part of a larger art crawl in the area and so if you’re in Baton Rouge or plan to be, definitely add the art crawl to your plans!

Beyond May my traveling schedule is still undecided. Most art festivals and markets require editioned prints. I’ve got a series I’m working on now with a focus on birds. Look for pre-orders in The Print Shop or in my emails (scroll down to subscribe)!