Upcoming San Francisco Bay Area Linocut Class at Kala Art Institute

I’m excited to be teaching an upcoming reduction linocut class at Kala Art Institute in Berkeley, California. It consists of three Saturday sessions on July 8, 15 and 22, 2023. Here’s a summary of the in-person linoleum block printing class.

Introduction to Reductive Linocut - This class is an introduction to relief printing with linoleum. Students will also learn how to make reduction prints using a technique to make multicolor prints from one linoleum block. Students will learn the step-by-step process that will take their initial design ideas to a small final edition of prints. Topics we’ll cover include linocut supplies, carving techniques, print registration and printing with an etching press. No prior printmaking experience is necessary.

 
Linoleum Block with Carving Tool

Linocut Class at Kala in July 2023

 
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The Met and IFPDA Talk Linocut

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.

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Series of Sky Inspired Linocut Prints

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.

 
Linocut Print by Rich Fowler Titled Here and Now II

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.

 
Large Linocut Print Titled Here and Now III by Rich Fowler

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.

 
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New Essdee Soft Rubber Lino Printing Brayer

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.

 
Essdee Soft Rubber Linocut Roller

New Essdee Soft Rubber Lino Printing Brayer

 
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