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!
Ink | Paper | Press | Shirts (Fabric) | Tools
Thanks to everyone who came out yesterday on a hot, sunny day! It was great fun and I met some fantastic people. I've posted some photos on the Boarding All Rows Facebook page.
For those who don't already know, consider following Boarding All Rows on Facebook for updates on new prints, works in progress, printmaking recommendations, and upcoming events.
Albany Arts & Green Festival - May 6, 2012
I'm very excited about these upcoming events in the San Francisco Bay Area in May. I have a couple linocut prints in a large group show at San Francisco's STUDIO Gallery starting May 2. I can't wait to see the other exhibited work by local artists.
Then on May 6, I have the first of two art and craft fairs where I'll be selling my latest work. More event details can be found at the links below. I love talking with people about printmaking so I hope to see you this month! I'm taking a little time off in June with the birth of our second child...times will be changing...
May 2 - 27, 2012
Opening Reception: May 12, 2 - 6 pm
STUDIO Gallery
1815 Polk St
San Francisco, CA
Albany Arts & Green Festival
Sunday, May 6, 2012
11 am - 3 pm
Memorial Park, 1325 Portland Ave
Albany, CA
Sunday, May 20, 2012
3 pm - 7 pm
The Starry Plough Pub
3101 Shattuck Ave
Berkeley, CA
Today was sunny with a high around 80F - probably the warmest day of the year so far. I decided to do some carving outside and worked on the second color of the Tokyo reduction print. I'm planning four colors total. I did a little filming and hope to later edit a short video of the carving.
Some people geek out over smartphones, others, designer shoes...me, a new 8-inch, 28-durometer, Japanese printmaking brayer (i.e. the roller in the photo). Yes, I just wanted to use the word 'durometer' in a sentence...great Scrabble word, isn't it. I can't wait to see how this thing rolls out ink. Below is a sketch I'm working on for a new 8"x10" Tokyo-themed woodcut.
A new shipment of paper arrived yesterday, the house is now quiet...it's time to work.
The ink is still wet on this 3-color linocut I finished a couple days ago. I have yet to number the edition but hope it will come in at 14-15 prints. The sky was done by reduction and then a second block was carved for the silhouette. If you'd like more details on the step-by-step of this print, please feel free to check out the past few blog posts.
Linocut Print
And, this is how the El Capitan woodblock print I previously mentioned turned out.
El Capitan, Yosemite National Park - Woodcut Print
Tonight I was excited to print the third color of my streetscape print and I immediately ran into a problem. The third layer wasn't lining up with the two layers underneath. Yikes! It was 2-3mm too short, which doesn't sound like a lot, but is easily seen by the eye of the viewer. It threw me for a complete loop. Frustrated and perplexed, I started troubleshooting. What was I doing wrong? I even had a test print from last weekend that showed the third layer printing just fine.
Then it dawned on me. We've had very heavy rain all week, which increased the humidity drastically and stretched the paper. The stretching of the paper probably threw the registration of the layers out of wack. A quick Google search for an answer confirmed my hunch. So I put the brakes on tonight's print run after losing the first four prints. I'll wait until the rain abates and hope the paper shrinks back again to the approximate same size. Or am I missing something else?
Fingers crossed.
