Welcome to my linocut printmaking blog. I’ve been writing since 2011 so if you’d like to browse or keyword search my archives you can take a look…thanks!
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I’ve been working on a series of prints that combine linocuts and woodcuts titled, Fleeting Moment. They’re multicolor prints made on white Rives BFK paper using my Conrad monotype press. The series includes five prints so far, each being unique.
Fleeting Moment V (2024) - Woodcut and Linocut Print
I posted a video on Instagram of a woodblock layer being printed on Fleeting Moment III.
These are several other relief prints in this series.
These are a couple small abstract linoleum block prints that I made. I hand carved the patterns and printed the linocuts on 8“x10” paper. These open edition prints are titled, Askew I and Currents I, and are available on Etsy.
Currents I - Abstract Block Print
IFPDA’s Print Month in October 2021 featured an online program called, Prints in Relief; Print Study Day Presented by The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The IFPDA is the International Fine Print Dealers Association. One of the three speakers was Rachel Mustalish, Conservator at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, who gave a talk titled, Linocuts: Making and Meaning.
I recently went back and watched it on YouTube and thought it was a compelling introduction to linocut printmaking, including its early days. The lino printing portion of the video starts at about the 58:33 mark.
Some of the subjects she touches on in the talk are:
The invention of linoleum.
The basics of making a linocut print.
The Lark, May (1895) by Bruce Porter and other early linocut work.
The aesthetic characteristics of a linocut and comparisons to woodcut.
Linocut examples from Matisse, Claude Flight, Sybil Andrews, Lill Tschudi, Cyril Power and Picasso.
The style and influence of artists associated with the British Grosvenor School.
Contemporary approaches to linocut from artists such as Chuck Close, Bill Woodrow, Victoria Mamnguqsualuk and Kara Walker.
You might watch it if you’re interested in the history of the medium.
Last year, I worked on a series of linocut prints inspired by desert skies in places such as California’s Joshua Tree National Park and Anza Borrego Desert State Park. The series of limited edition lino prints is called Here and Now and these are a couple of them.
Here and Now II - Linocut Print by Rich Fowler
The linoleum block print above is printed on 14”x11” Stonehenge paper (250 gsm), while the one below is larger and on 28”x22” paper.
Detail of the Lino Print Titled, Here and Now III
You can see a short video of me printing layers of this linocut on Instagram. The finished print is made up of more than 25 block printed impressions.
Both linocuts are available for sale on Etsy.
I recently bought an Essdee soft rubber brayer to try out for linocut printmaking. It’s the two-inch wide version with a blue handle. If it works well, I’d like to get the four or six-inch roller, too.
New Essdee Soft Rubber Lino Printing Brayer
This is a geometric lino print I made called, Gathered. The linocut is printed with Gold Cranfield Traditional Relief Ink on 9” x 12” black paper. I carved the abstract design in battleship gray linoleum and hand printed it on my monotype press. It’s available on Etsy.
