Thursday, January 29, 2009
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Printsy Interview - Sherrie York
Name: Sherrie YorkWebsite: sherrieyork.com
Blog: brushandbaren.blogspot.com
Etsy: riosalidaart.etsy.com
Biography
I was born in the Los Angeles area, but my family moved to Colorado when I was seven and the mountain west has always felt like home. I went to college in Nebraska, where I earned a teaching degree with an “art endorsement.” (Art endorsement = Just enough knowledge to be dangerous in a classroom.) Presently I am fortunate to be living and working in a small town in the Rocky Mountains, sheltered by a rattle-y old Victorian house, challenged and cherished by the musician who shares it all with me.
How did you get started in printmaking?
You could say I got started in printmaking two or three times. The first was 25 years ago (ack!), when I took a college printmaking survey course.
From that experience I learned to love etching and collagraphy, but after college I didn’t have access either to a press or to landlords who looked kindly on nitric acid baths in the kitchen (party-poopers.) Printmaking fell by the wayside as I focused on watercolor painting, work for environmental non-profits, and a freelance graphic design business.
Second start? Hmm... fifteen years later, when I tried my hand at reduction linocuts. I made two or three reasonable prints at that time, but didn’t have a good system for registration. The entire process was just sooooooo painful that again it went on the back burner.But you know what they say, “Third time’s a charm.” In 2000 I made one of those ill-fated 90-degree turns and took on a job that looked perfect but turned out to be a complete fiasco. For a period of 2 or 3 years I made no art whatsoever. When the job mess was over and I had moved 150 miles away, I picked up a brush and tried to get back to painting.
Let’s just say it didn’t go well.
Completely frustrated, I decided to simplify my approach to image-making. I made a few small lino blocks and started carving strictly black and white images, pulling editions of only 4 or 6 prints ("Lakeside - Franzhurst"). I worked in small, non-threatening formats and focused on composition. It was probably close to a year before I started to work in color again, developed the registration jig I use now, and made linocuts a regular habit.
Describe where you work.So glamorous! My “studio” has typically been the spare bedroom in whatever apartment I inhabited at the time. These days I’m still working in such a space, but I share a house with a musician and he needs a studio, too. We’ve had to expand our selection of bedrooms.
I use the same table for painting, drawing, carving, and printing, so my setup remains simple and movable. When it’s time to print I put my registration jig on one side of the table and my inking glass on the other. I pull my inks, brayer, baren, and trusty kitchen spoon out of a box and I go to work. I’ve got a nifty little clothespin-and-1x2 drying rack that can be raised and lowered on pulleys hanging from the ceiling. That’s it!
What’s your favourite printmaking process?As I mentioned before, I loved etching but my intaglio pursuit was thwarted by logistics. I’ve become quite attached to linocuts because I can print them by hand and because they are portable. From time to time I’ll take a plate with me into the field and draw directly on it.
I think it’s the quality of a carved relief line that charms me most of all. There’s a spontaneous quality to even the most carefully rendered lines, something I struggle to achieve in my drawings but which seems to come naturally to lino.
What’s your creative process for any given print?I’m supposed to have a process? Yikes!
The starting point can be quite variable. I’ve drawn directly on plates when I’m in the field (“And then Jeff...”) and I have transferred images from my sketchbook to plates (“Tigerlily Sleeping”). Sometimes I have an image idea in my head and I go out with camera and sketchbook to hunt down my reference (“Summer Aspen”), and sometimes I find a subject when I’m flipping through my photo files (“High Tide Detritus”).
Once I have an image in mind I am quite impatient to start carving, so the planning stage tends to be skipped entirely. If I’m working on a multi-color reduction print I usually have an idea of what the first carving should be and what the last one might be, but all the colors in between? It’s a mystery that I like to let unfold. I almost always work from light to dark, so I find it easy to think one step at a time. I print the first color and as I’m carving for the next I ask myself “Does this section want to be the color I already printed, or something else?” If it’s the former, then I carve it out. Otherwise it stays put and I avoid making a decision until the next color.What do you enjoy most about printmaking?
It’s satisfying to see a drying rack full of successful images, but the act of carving is really what it’s all about for me. Some years ago a well-known bronze artist suggested (tentatively, because he “didn’t want the competition”) that I was at heart a sculptor. At the time the idea filled me with terror, but I think now that he recognized a certain “tactile romance,” a need to manipulate surfaces.
What’s your least favorite part of the process?Printing! I know, I know, it sounds so wrong, but it’s true. These days I challenge myself to produce editions of at least 12-15 prints, but I would probably be perfectly happy making editions of 6 or fewer. It’s the carving and unfolding of the image that intrigues me more than the capacity for repetition. I want to see the fully-realized image as soon as possible so I can get on to the next one!
What are your inspirations?
A pencil, chickens, and a man named Richard.
Richard Wiegmann took me to the garden to draw trees and to the neighbors’ to draw chickens, and he was the instructor for that college printmaking course oh-so-long ago. He planted the seed.
Other inspirations include printmakers Gustave Baumann, Andrew Haslen, and Siemen Dykstra. For drop-dead gorgeous composition and glorious line you can’t go wrong with Francis Lee Jaques or Denis Clavreul.And it’s probably obvious that, for me, the greatest source of wonder and inspiration is the natural world.
How has your work changed and evolved since you started?
Certainly opening up a limited color palette has done a lot to help me develop my craft. Although I’ve confessed to starting out without a plan each time, I am more thoughtful throughout the process when I am considering questions of color and value.
It’s a curious time to ask me this question, actually, as I’ve got that snake-about-to-shed-too-tight-skin feeling. You know what I mean... a certain restlessness and discomfort that usually means I’m stretching out of my comfort zone. Or that I need to start doing so. Check back with me in another month or so.How do you get past creative slumps?
Very poorly, with much whining and complaining and general malaise. I need lots of walks in the countryside, a stack of books, and often a complete change of perspective. I live in a small town (5700 people) 2 hours from any large city, which is fabulous unless I want to see work by people I don’t already know! The web is good for some visual inspiration, but nothing beats seeing the work of others firsthand. Getting unstuck from a serious slump almost always requires a road trip.
How do you promote your work?I have a website, blog, and Etsy store. I also try to schedule two or three solo exhibitions each year and enter three or four juried shows. I teach field sketching, printmaking, and journal-making workshops and send a semi-regular newsletter to clients, collectors and friends.
Any other comments or advice for others who want to try making hand-pulled prints?At the risk of copyright infringement, I’d say to just do it! Linocuts are such an easy way to explore printmaking. They require few materials and equipment, and most people are familiar with them at least in theory. Even if you weren’t the kid who carved designs and scandalous words into her Pink Pearl eraser, you watched someone else do it. Really, they’re just glorified rubber stamps. Or maybe upscale potato prints. And how scary is a potato?
Thanks Sherrie for the great interview!!
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Who's Printsy This Week
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Printsy Interview - Joanne Allen
Name: Joanne AllenWebsites:
Blog: joscraps.blogspot.com
Flickr: flickr.com/photos/jocreates
Etsy: www.jocreates.etsy.com
Brief Bio
I live with my little girl and a pet cat called Tigger. I love tea and chocolate. I love being inspired by other creative souls. I'm a single mum who loves to create at night and weekends. During the day I work with computers where I create using code and software.
What printmaking medium do you most often work in?
Linocut and gocco.
How did you get started in printmaking?
I was looking for something new to try and went along to a printing workshop. It was there that I found that I loved carving out lino.
Describe where you work
I am a member of an art space (www.megalo.org) where there are printing presses etc that I can use. It means my home stays sort of clean and tidy :). At home I have a room that has a large old dining table and it is generally covered in paper, inks, chisels, lino and anything else that has sparked my curiosity.
What's your creative process for any given print? (eg. sketch first? Pre-planned or free-form?)
I always sketch first, walk away, come back and sketch some more, make changes, walk away, come back and then start carving. I start printing on different types of paper or materials. I like experimenting to see how the ink will behave. I generally carve some more and then print again. Eventually I get a print and lino plate that I am happy with.
What do you enjoy most about printmaking?
Oh the experimenting and seeing what happens :)
What's your least favorite part of the process?
I'd have to say the cleaning up. Not really great at that :(
What are your inspirations (other artists, people, places, events, etc.)?
My print teacher Gillian Mann has always been a great inspiration. I also love looking at photographers and at the moment really like www.jinkyart.com.au. I find the printers on Etsy are just amazing. Local exhibitions are always great.
How has your work changed and evolved since you started?
I am finding that I challenge myself more and try more techniques. I think I am braver and not so shy to show others what I am working on or have done. I'm open to feedback these days.
How do you get past creative slumps?
I switch mediums, I look to see what others are creating, I take photos, listen to music. I have faith that eventually I will get that spark back and be up at 2am creating something :)
How do you promote your work?
Through Etsy, my blog and word of mouth.
Any other comments or advice for others who want to try making hand-pulled prints? Experiment and try not to be too critical. Often your mistakes turn out to be great inspirational starting points.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Who's Printsy This Week
Welcome to a new (hopefully!) weekly installment where I showcase a selection of Printsy members' work added to Etsy during the week. If you're a Printsy member and want to be included, remember to use the tag "Printsy" for the Etsy items you post.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Printsy Interview - Iva O.
Interview by pspress
Name: Iva O.
Website: www.ivafineart.com
Etsy shop: ivaart.etsy.com
Flickr: www.flickr.com/photos/iva_o
Blog: ivaart.blogspot.com
Brief Bio:
I live in the Toronto area where I share my little apartment with a wonderful cat and a lot of art supplies. I don't have formal training in art and everything that I have learned is through observation and constant experimentation. During the day I work in corporate finance and at night I dive into paint and ink. It's a dual kind of life that keeps both sides of my brain working.
What printmaking medium do you most often work in?
Block printing -- both wood and linoleum.
How did you get started in printmaking?
Printmaking was a natural progression from painting. I was lucky enough to meet a lot of great artists online whose work inspired me to try and express myself through printmaking. Through a lot of experimentation and remembering bits of an art class in high school I taught myself the basics.
Describe where you work.
Until recently I used to work in a 1 metre by 1 metre space on my bedroom floor. Now I have graduated to my living room. One day I hope to have some space for a studio.
What's your creative process for any given print?
I usually start with something that inspires me, a photo of a place that I have visited or an image I would like to play with and sketch it out. I redraw the image to the size I want it, flip it (sometimes I forget to do that), transfer it to the block and start carving. I often have several blocks on the go, as once I start working on one the ideas start flowing for other images. After I finish carving the block, I print a test print, fix anything that needs fixing and print. I am very low tech as I use a wooden spoon to transfer the image from the block to paper. I usually print in several layers combining colors and blocks. Sometimes I have a finished image in my head and sometimes I just layer until I am happy with the print.
What do you enjoy most about printmaking?
Playing around with the ink. I am a messy artist, by the end of a printing session I am covered in ink!
What's your least favorite part of the process?
Getting the paper ready, I don't like cutting the paper because I can't cut or tear a straight line no matter what I do.
What are your inspirations?
My major inspiration is my life. The art I create is a reflection of my experiences and emotions. My prints (and the rest of my art work) represent my search for a calm and peaceful state of mind. I am inspired by other artists and the techniques they use. Nature is a constant inspiration, I am learning about photography and a lot of my blocks are based on photos I have taken.
How has your work changed and evolved since you started?
My work is constantly changing as I discover new ways of carving or printing. It's an ever changing process.
How do you get past creative slumps?
I am in the middle of one right now. The best thing I can do is to keep looking at art, trying to think about it and finding time to spend with my sketchbook. I think that I will have to lock the door, turn off my phone and computer and get the ink out and work for hours.
How do you promote your work?
My work is mostly for sale online right now. I promote through my blog, flickr groups, forums, displaying at shows and word of mouth.
Any other comments or advice for others who want to try making hand-pulled prints?
Just start working and don't be afraid to get covered in ink ;)
Thanks for the wonderful interview Iva!
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