I’ve started a series of abstract aerial landscape linocut prints that I’ve been working on since last year. They’re original artworks made from hand-carved linoleum blocks and I have three in the series so far.

As I’ve talked about before, I try to take a lot of photos out of the airplane window every time I fly. I love that view. Earlier this year, I was reading a library book about Georgia O’Keeffe and was surprised to find out that she too was inspired by views from the airplane window.

I’ve titled the series, “Aloft,” and these are the first three abstract lino prints.

Aloft I - Linoleum Block Print

Aloft II - Lino Print

Aloft III - Linocut Print

This is a short video of me printing Aloft II from linoleum blocks on an etching press in my printmaking studio. I used the same process for each of the prints in the series.

I’ve done a lot of work drawn from my passion for plane flight - you might be interested in these past posts:

Printmaking is a little like cooking, trying to find the right combination of ingredients for the perfect recipe. I spent the weekend trying to find the best combination of paper type and press tension for a new type of ink (Daniel Smith oil-based relief ink) I'm test driving. By Sunday afternoon, after countless test prints, I happily found the right mix. I often print on Stonehenge paper, but from time to time I've had a problem when the paper slips ever so slightly as the etching press roller pushes the print through. The front half of the print looks crisp, while the rear half of the print looks a little fuzzy and I end up having to recycle the prints. But Rives heavyweight paper worked fantastic. It's a little lighter weight than the Stonehenge paper and laid nice and 'snug' to the inked block. The result, after going through the press, was a nice clear image. To add another wrinkle, I decided to mount the carved linoleum block on plywood, which I never do, and I see some benefits. The photo shows the first layer of my newest edition of Italian car prints.

Car Linocut Print

Ukulele Linocut Block Print

Earlier this month, I listed these new ukulele linocut prints for sale on Etsy. There are four different color versions in a total edition of 12 prints. It was made using the reduction method where the same linoleum block is used to print each color. After a layer is printed on the paper with oil-based ink, more of the block is carved away for an additional color. The print can never be replicated because the block has been carved away during the creation process.

2018 Update - I now have a review of my Blick 999 Model II Etching Press and its smaller cousin, the Blick Econo Etch Model II Press after using them for over five years.

My printmaking world is getting bigger and better. A new etching press was delivered last week by truck freight and the deliveryman was nice enough to wheel the crate directly into the garage (the shipment weighed about 200 lbs).

The first step was to unscrew the top off the crate so I could take a look at the press. It's a Richeson / Blick 999 Model II. What this all means for me is that I'll be able to make prints up to about 17" x 35" - much larger than my existing press allows.

I spent a lot of time looking for press benches and had trouble finding one that met my space, functionality and budget requirements. Having used an IKEA kitchen cart for my smaller press, I immediately looked back to IKEA for options. I found my solution when browsing through their Emeryville store and stumbled upon the HEMNES coffee table. It's made out of solid wood, measures 46.5" (L) x 29.5" (W) x 18.125" (H) and has a shelf underneath the main table surface.

I decided to do an IKEA 'hack' by stacking and attaching the two tables and adding heavyweight casters to the bottom. The tables were easy to assemble (less than an hour each) and were connected together with metal corner braces. The trickiest part was attaching the casters I got from a hardware store. The legs didn't have enough surface area to screw in the casters so I had to widen the legs by about 3/4" by screwing in a small woodblock on the outside of each leg. If I want the bench to be a little lower, I could saw off a few inches from the four legs.

Overall, the bench's benefits are that it's tall (I'm tall), mobile, less costly, and has three flat surfaces underneath the press. The shelves will be perfect for storage and large sheets of paper used during a print run. Two of the shelves can be taken out without taking apart the bench. Now I need to put it all to good use!

New Blick 999 Model II Etching Press and IKEA Bench

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