Woodcut relief prints hand-pulled in my studio, spring 2021. More of these to come.
Blue and black skull, 2021. Sold out.
Orange and brown bird, 2021. Sold out.
Pink and brown bird, 2021. Sold out.
Home-bound over the winter with a broken ankle and a pandemic, I began carving wood. As I collected tools and learned new skills in that endeavor, I was inspired by artists such as Roman Klonek and Valerie Lueth / Tugboat to put ink on wood on paper. My first print, pulled by hand with a baren and a rudimentary registration method, was a blue skull. After a brief announcement on Facebook and Instagram, I sold the entire edition of 30 in an afternoon. For the next print I decided i’d use it as a fundraiser to procure a small printing press from Woodzilla in The Netherlands. The idea was to sell this second print, an orange and brown bird, and a print to come later — whatever first print I make with this new printer. Again, the edition sold out quickly, I ordered the press, and I made the third print, another bird.
I buried myself under the deadlines of two picture books just as I completed this third edition, and I look forward to making more prints. I’ll post them here and sell them on my Etsy site.
Some process photos of the making of these prints.
First step: drawing the image (backward!) on the wood.
The flat blue was the first thing printed, now I'm cutting what will be the 2d black color.
This is that same piece of wood after cutting out what will print as the 2d color.
Cutting the plate for the first bird print
First color down of the bird.
This is my "press" for the bird and skull: cardboard and a baren.
After pulling the first two prints with a baren, Japanese-style, I bought this small press.
The first cut for the 2d bird print
Second bird print, first color.
cutting away the rest of the wood for the 2d color
cutting away the rest of the wood for the 2d color
A process video. Pulling the 2d color of the 2d bird print.
