Recently I have become fascinated with printmaking, especially linoleum relief printing. Printmaking is a fussy process, but I enjoy each step, and it provides interest and challenges for me. I see linoleum block printing as a way to push drawing further, the prints have an unmistakable graphic look and feel that I love, and there is the capability for lots of subjects to be interpreted.
I use source photographs, developing them into drawings, and then designs which can be carved. Pre-design thinking involves my point of view, how much I want to abstract images, and how much black to incorporate into the design. At some point, it becomes all about the creative side of shapes and patterns, negative and positive, rather than the subject matter.
The designs are transferred in reverse to a special piece of linoleum. The "white" areas of the design are then cut away using special carving tools. After the carving is completed, the linoleum is covered evenly with black printer's ink, using a roller. A piece of paper is placed over the inked linoleum, and the print its made by the transference of the ink to the paper, using a printing press. After the ink dries, each print is hand-colored with artist's watercolors. No piece is ever the same, as they are individually colored.
I use source photographs, developing them into drawings, and then designs which can be carved. Pre-design thinking involves my point of view, how much I want to abstract images, and how much black to incorporate into the design. At some point, it becomes all about the creative side of shapes and patterns, negative and positive, rather than the subject matter.
The designs are transferred in reverse to a special piece of linoleum. The "white" areas of the design are then cut away using special carving tools. After the carving is completed, the linoleum is covered evenly with black printer's ink, using a roller. A piece of paper is placed over the inked linoleum, and the print its made by the transference of the ink to the paper, using a printing press. After the ink dries, each print is hand-colored with artist's watercolors. No piece is ever the same, as they are individually colored.