Interview with Mark McDevitt of Methane Studios, Inc.

Biography

Methane Studios gotits start in 1998 when Mark McDevitt and Robert Lee formed apartnership to produce silk screen posters for the East Atlanta clubThe Echo Lounge that featured some of the best independent bands inthe late 1990s.

The roots of thispartnership started in the mid 1980s at Columbus College of Art andDesign located in Columbus, Ohio. Robert and Mark, both from smallOhio towns, majored in Illustration and bonded over bad '80shaircuts, corndogs, good music and creating art to form a friendshipthat would transcend into creating award-winning artwork recognizedworldwide. Our status as well-known designers has led us to winawards in design competitions in How, Print magazine, and the Graphisposter annual.

In college we learnedin a more traditional way, which allowed us to explore techniquesthat we use today. We never let our posters "look"computerized. We use the computer like a pencil or paintbrush. Thecomputer has allowed us to speed things up and to explore moreoptions for sure, but we still belly up to the drafting table often.We draw inspiration from many artists, be it musical or visual, and ourwork tends to have a vintage influence and is shipped from oursecret, haunted (true story) studio located in East Point, GA.

Why do you like to print?

I like to silkscreen because the imageslowly comes alive right before your eyes color by color. I like theboldness of the medium, the imperfections and happy accidents thatcome along with it, plus its long history in the art world.

What is your favorite print medium andwhy?

Silkscreen is my fave. I took classeswhen I was in college and later on in my career experimented in mygarage for fun, which turned into Methane Studios. We’re producingsome letterpress cards that we’re excited about and hope tocontinue with more letterpress prints in the future.

How long have you been printing andhow has your work evolved?

We started printing in 1997 and at thetime we didn’t have any expectations for the work since it was moreexperimental, but now we strive for quality and good design. We arealways trying new solutions and growing as artists every year. Thelast thing we want to do is grow stale.

What inspires you?

A lot of the artists from the1940s-1960s inspire me, and I’m always discovering new old artworkposted on design blogs. We’re both music junkies and probably haveenough music that if I dropped dead at my computer it would continueto play music well after I have been mummified.

My family and Robert (my partner andbest bud) always inspire me to work hard, not to mention my boys seemto eat and grow out of everything quickly.

How do your promote your work?

We promote our work through ourwebsite, facebook, blogs and enter a lot of design competitions. Wehave also started to have booths at a lot of different craft fairsaround the country, which are fun. So if you see us, stop by and sayhowdy!

Are you working on any particularprojects now?

We are putting together work for ourFebruary gallery show in Raleigh, NC. In March we have a show inSavannah, GA, at the Bandwagon event, and then we’ll be at SXSW inAustin. In addition to all of that we are busy creating our firstgreeting card line, creating gig posters and getting ready for thebusy summer tour season, which could mean we might create and print more than 50 posters over a four-month period. 

We also get random projects from timeto time, so it’s always interesting to see what comes up on a dailybasis.

Tell us one random fact about yourself.

I used to collect beer cans back in thelate 1970s. I would cruise around Lancaster, Ohio, on my moped anddig in old dumps looking for rusty cone top cans, which were andstill are the most collectible. I can still remember how exciting itwas to make a big find and think about this every time I watchAmerican Pickers. Those cans reside in my man cave today!

Check out Methane Studios' Etsy shop, website and facebook page.

Interview with Cerys Turner

Biography

ALondoner born and raised, I have lived in and explored various partsof this city. I went to Central Saint Martins art college and thenhave done lots of exciting bits and pieces, including a few yearsworking full time in fashion and even a one-time biscuit icer! I amcurrently working freelance and getting into creative projects withdifferent client groups within the community.

Whydo you like to print?

Ienjoy drawing, painting and collaging and find print a good way tocombine ideas and be more selective with colour, shape and line. Ireally like the way you can build up layers, too.

Whatis your favorite print medium and why?

Istill remember the day I learned to screen print at art school. Eventhough I had done other printing before, like mono printing and a fewother techniques and enjoyed them, I got this feeling of excitement and amazing rush that I'd discovered my 'thing'. I didn't want toleave the print studio!

Howlong have you been printing and how has your work evolved? 

I've beenprinting for roughly 8 years, I love to experiment, so my initialwork was very experimental, but having had industry experiencedesigning in-house for fashion companies, I've definitely learned todesign in a more controlled way for specific clients, too.

Whatinspires you?

Colour.I am inspired by the way it's used in art, particularly abstractexpressionist artists like Rothko, Kiefer, Klee where the colour isstrong and evokes emotions. I'm inspired by things I see around thecity, the contrast between the urban landscape, nature breakingthrough and layers of history breaking through; unusual flowers,noisy birds, misplaced trees, clear blue skies over rigid greybuildings, historical architecture, ripped posters revealing hiddenimages. I love finding unusual things from the past and beautifulvintage fabrics - I often go to car boot sales and flea markets insearch of eclectic objects.

Howdo your promote your work? 

Mainly through word of mouth, but havingan Etsy shop has been a great way to start reaching peopleinternationally. I also have a blog and have started to tweet...

Areyou working on any particular projects now? 

I am workingon projects with specific client groups -- I am interested in doingcreative workshops with vulnerable and disabled people and possiblycombining this with Art Therapy in the future. There are a couple ofTextile Design studios that I do ongoing projects for -- I've juststarted designing some really exciting prints for fashion swimwear.Developing my own style further is also important to me and I hope tomake more products with my designs on to sell independently.

Tellus one random fact about yourself:

Icollect deers! I really like their calm nature, how graceful theyseem and living in London it is very rare that I get to see them sothey are quite exotic to me. So far I have deers that are pink,wooden, red, sparkly, ceramic, tiny and even flocked.

Please stop by Cerys Turner's etsy shop and blog.

Interview with Clare Winslow

Biography:

Having originally studied painting and drawing, I discovered printmaking later when I took classes at the Corcoran College of Art in [Washington] DC and at Pyramid Atlantic Art Center in Maryland. As soon as I tried printmaking I was immediately captivated by it. This art form gave me an outlet for all of my creative identities: draftsman, photographer, digital artist and painter.

What is your favorite print medium and why? Although I love all forms of printmaking, I am especially drawn to screenprinting because it lets me easilycombine layers of color and imagery from my drawings, paintings and photography. Although screenprinting is often associated with flat, poster-like images, through the use of new techniques including building many layers, sanding and sponging ink through the screen, it can also produce prints with texture and painterly surfaces.

Tell us about your work:

As far as process goes, after coming up with a concept, I often use the computer to develop an initial sketch as well as the transparencies, but then I depend on my background in drawing and painting to make decisions about color, value, shape, texture and composition. Ultimately, I try to maintain a balance between process and feeling.

My latest prints deal with the theme of navigation. I am interested in working with signs and symbols that represent our attempts to chart a course through life and the physical world. This year I will produce work for a solo show in 2013, and will attempt to do more experimental printing, working with alternative materials such as textiles and bamboo. I’d really like toget the imagery out of the boundaries of the picture frame.

How do you promote your work?

Regarding shows and sales, I exhibit at the Washington Printmakers Gallery, outside Washington, D.C. I opened my Etsy shop a while back but only recently have had time to promote it. Etsy is a fun place to connect with artists from all over the world. Promoting my work is challenging, but I’m getting more comfortable doing it online through Facebook, by sending out emails to contacts periodically, and by simply talking to people about my work more often.

Tell us about your studio space:

I go to a screenprinting studio in Washington, DC which I can rent by the day and is big enough to allow me to work on large pieces. Now my kids are 8 and 12, I have more time for art, but there's still a lot of juggling going on, a scenario probably familiar to most artists with kids. I try to carve out time every day for art, even if it's a short period.

A random fact about me: I'm the child and grandchild of DC painters and a native Washingtonian. There aren't many of those!

Please stop by Clare’s website & Etsy Shop

INTERVIEW with LYNN BAILEY

Biography

My initial training

was in conservation of prints and drawings. I loved handling old prints and was very good at the invisible repairs and when I’m feeling frivolous I’d tell you I was trained in touching up Old Masters. Cutting mounts for Rembrandt prints and making tiny repairs for wormholes in a Hokus

ai are among th

e highlights from this time.

At the same time I was also discovering

that I am dyslexic and keeping up with the chemistry and all the scientific changes was quite a challenge for me. So for a while I took a complete change in direction and worked as a rendering artist in animation. While it was very enjoyable being involved in films and TV, and

[I was able to] apply my attention to detail, I missed havi

ng full creative input and I never lost my interest for Print.

Why Printmaking

?

After a while, it was clear that my skills were being replaced by computers, which wasn’t direction I wanted to pursue myself. I spent some time traveling around Africa while I tried to determine what direction I should take next. Thirteen countries, 1,000 pre-digital photographs, sound recordings and several boxes of artifacts later I returned to London and found it really difficult to go back to work where I was to follow the direction of an art director.

After, many evening classes, portfolio preparation classes and a part time foundation course later I went to college for a Fine Arts degree. I went to Exeter in Devon partly because the color of the soil which was reminiscent of central Africa! I also chose Devon because I knew that my artistic interests had more to do with the land than with the urban angst. While in college I found myself gravitating towards printmaking again. There is something about the processes that draws people with an interest in the science. The indirect way of working appeals to me and I believe that printmaking particularly suits the dyslexic mind. I already have a tendency to see things back to front, and have no problem transposing things, turning them around in my mind and even working in negative when necessary.

What is your favorite print medium and why?

I think if I had to choose one process I would narrow it down to Intaglio; but that will have to include drypoint, collagraph and acrylic resist etching. I teach and keep my hands in with all forms of printmaking. My work will often combine many different forms of printmaking in one piece. Some of my most recent work uses collagraph plates, which are inked up with different intaglio colors, and then have transparent relief ink rolled over the surface, then the chine collé tissues are laid over theplate. The colored tissues have been printed on with a drypoint and hand tinted. Together with the inked up collagraph plate and chine colléd tissue are added plant materials that have been inked up by passing through the etching press on an inky plate. When all these different elements are in place, it is then that all the parts are printed and adhered on to damp cotton paper with the etching press.

Tell us about your work:

All of my work has some kind of environmental angle to it. Themes I have worked with include the regeneration of the land; the purification of the water that was polluted by the landfill; a commentary about lost orchards; and a celebration of the easily overlooked wonders such as common weeds and bugs that have an important role to play in biodiversity. My most recent work is all about “Devon Hedgerows” which actually support a phenomenal amount of wildlife and are structures of great beauty in their own right.

Tell us about your Print Shop:

I help run Double Elephant Print Workshop for the last 15 years, where people can come participate in a variety of printmaking courses. This is a non-profit community interest company run by six artists. I was one of the two original founders and I offer technical support to the membership, run several of the courses and undertake editioning work from time to time.

Double Elephant has a very active outreach department. We have several small, portable presses that the team takes out to schools, art societies, prisons and anywhere that would like to experience printmaking at first hand. We also offer Printmaking on Prescription where people with mental health issues can be referred by local doctors to benefit from the therapeutic aspects of printmaking and self-expression in a safe environment.

How do you balance being a Master Printer and your own work?

Finding a balance between running a print workshop and being able to produce my own work is very difficult. On the plus side, I have access to excellent equipment just a three-minute walk from where I live and access to inspiring colleagues. The difficulty is that a lot of my energies are taken up with helping other people achieve their printmaking aims, sometimes at the expense of my own. A key thing for me is to always have a project in hand and something to work towards.

How do you promote your work?

Promoting my own work has always been something I find very difficult. I’m not accustomed to sticking my neck out and getting noticed. However I am very happy promoting the Workshop and over the years I have become quite well known in the area because of that. I have been lucky to be a member of the Devon Guild of Craftsmen and have work in the Devon Gallery with a very strong printmaking reputation. I know I should get my stuff out there more, but it is difficult to put in the time necessary for this, plus I’m very picky and will not have my work mixed up with reproductions if I can help it.

Key promotional events for me are open studios. These are great fun and people will travel around the area to visit artists in their studios. I have a wide range of work to offer, ranging from my original print, handmade cards, postcards, hand printed cushions, and hand printed bags. I also have my Etsy website and an art page on FaceBook where I have more fans than friends. I like to keep it relatively Etsy “light” on FaceBook because I don’t want to put off people who are really fans of my work. I’m finding it an interesting way for people to see my work and get feedback about what people like.

Tell us a random fact about yourself.

I’m rapidly turning into an eccentric, little old lady…

Check out Lynn's Etsy Shop

Interview with Nieves Waleska Pumarejo Blanco of Toshisworld

Biography:


Born in Brooklyn, NY and raised in Puerto Rico where I currently live, in the capital, Old San Juan. I made my BA and a Master degree in Visual Art in the Interamerican University of Puerto Rico, San Germán campus.


Why do you like to print?


My love for print came since I was in the kindergarten [and] the teacher showed us how with leaves and empty spools deep in painting create “prints” of them in the paper. Later in my printmaking classes my love grow much more. Printmaking became one of my favorite mediums to work.

What is your favorite print medium and why?


At this moment my favorite is linocut because it is accesible, easy to print if you doesn’t have a workshop and relatively easy to cut and design in it. I love printing in other colors than black and feel the texture of the print papers. On the other hand, if I would have a studio or workshop to print, my other favorite is the collography because of the mix of textures and ideas for work with it.


How long have you been printing and how has your work evolved?

I’m [began] printing again about two years ago. I feel like I’m still learning, every time I do a print something new happens in my mind, so always I’m seeking for knowledge. A new way to cut, a new line to draw, a new paper to try. I want to evolve to perfection, in the meantime I’m really happy learning and printing.


What inspires you?


My inspiration is nature. My culture, my thoughts, my feelings. I’m searching [for] my own language, my own mythologies, my own symbols. Inspiration is an infinite resources that will help me to find my own space in art and printing. I love the form of the leafs, the shells, the lines that defines our environment.

How do you promote your work?


I’m using facebook, twitter and my blogs. [especially] the blogs I feel very comfortable talking about my creative process my thoughts and ideas that I would love to develop in some time.

Are you working in any particular projects now?

Not really, well I have something in mind with print and jewelry and my big project is learning.

Tell us one random fact about yourself


I don’t like talk about myself too much because I’m a shy person but one fact is I love art in all the ways especially photography, jewelry design, printmaking and bookmaking, art is my religion, I love learning about the creative process of other artist and I’m always looking for knowledge. Recently I started my own private print art collection.

Check out Nieves' Etsy Shop and Blog 

Interview with Rich Fowler of Boarding All Rows

Biography




I grew up in the Midwest (U.S.), although I spent some of my childhood in a small English town. The San Francisco Bay Area is now home and is where I first took an interest in printmaking. I come from a family with different creative interests like art, photography, and music, but it wasn’t until recent years that I seriously explored that side of my brain as an adult.


Why do you like to print?


I was first attracted to linocut printmaking because it’s an art form requiring little in the way of equipment and doesn’t involve sitting in front of a computer, which I was already doing a lot in my job. The process of carving the block and then experimenting while printing got me hooked. I like that a hand-pulled print tactilely reflects the printing process – the layers of ink, the embossing on the paper – it has clearly not come out of an inkjet printer.

What is your favorite print medium and why?




Relief printmaking, at this point, appeals to me the most, although I really enjoy producing drypoint prints because the process is a nice contrast. I’m drawn to the free-flowing graphic designs for which linocut is well suited. The challenge of making multi-color prints – both making them visually catching and registering the blocks accurately – drive me to improve and expand my work. I get a deep sense of satisfaction when I peel the paper off an inked block – revealing the good, the bad and the ugly.


How long have you been printing and how has your work evolved?


I started printmaking in 2009 and my first pieces were simple linocut designs. Last year I took a couple workshops, such as at KALA Art Institute in Berkeley, that taught me how to make multi-color prints using a key block, which opened my eyes to more sophisticated compositions.


Another evolution has been to fight my natural inclination to produce images that are close representations of their subjects. I’ve tried to beat that out of me through drawing classes.

What inspires you?


Travel is a passion of mine, and maps, the outdoors, old poster art, and typography are all themes I enjoy exploring. I use a lot of my own photography from travels for brainstorming new ideas. The work of woodblock printmakers such as Tom Killion and Gustave Baumann, as well as the incredible Japanese ukiyo-e artists, were a revelation. I find the groundbreaking, graphic designs of early 20th century poster art – the typography, illustrations, colors, layouts – wonderfully inspiring.


How do you promote your work?


Promotion is not my strong suit but I recently designed a website and an artist page on Facebook. I also participate in some of the community aspects of Etsy, which make it such a unique forum for selling artwork. I’m a member of a local art association, which puts on an annual art show, too. In the future, I hope to have more face-to-face interaction with the public by selling at street fairs and art festivals.


Are you working on any particular projects now?


I keep a long list of possible projects as they come to me, often letting them ruminate for a while as I think of different ways to compose them or simply work on a technique before investing the time on a new print. A Japanese train linocut, that I shelved for months but am now finishing, is a great example. Many of my recent projects have featured airport-related themes. I have a soft spot for airports.


Tell us one random fact about yourself


In 2006, I traveled around Asia and the Pacific for four months – trekking in the Himalaya, fending off leaches and drinking rice wine with a shaman in the jungles of Borneo, and volunteering at an elementary school in the Cook Islands.

Check out Rich's Etsy Shop and Website

Interview with Kyle & Courtney Harmon of Screen Eggs and Ham

Biography


We are a husband/wife team (Kyle & Courtney) with the most beautiful baby girl, Sophia. We both grew up in Manton, a teeny tiny town in Northern Michigan, where we will be moving back to soon. We currently live in a small farming community Coopersville, Mi just outside of what I think is a huge city (Grand Rapids, Mi) where Kyle goes to Kendall College of Art and Design, for art education. We got to know one another after I caught Kyle staring at me in LaF's High School art class, while we were painting a backdrop for a Elementary Christmas play together. I'm not going to lie my mind was shouting to me, “Oh my god Kyle Harmon, is checking me out! Play it cool, don't act like you care” then I ever so calmly turned away from him and could feel the bright red begin to appear on my face.. (FYI every girl from our school would have felt that way, he was the attractive, athletic “bad boy” type, that wasn't actually bad) Definitely one of the most embarrassingly exciting moments in my life (although I've never told him). From there I decided the best way to nonchalantly get to know him (secretly make him my boyfriend) would have to be of course MSN Messenger. Our messenger relationship quickly turned into actual friends, then boyfriend/girlfriend, then best friends, to eventually husband & wife/business partners.


Why do we print?

We print because we love it, printing brings so much happiness to our lives. It's a wonderful feeling to make a living doing what we love, creating artwork together for other people.




What is your favorite print medium and why?

We don't necessarily have a specific favorite print medium, but our new obsession is with printing onto ceramic pieces.


How long have you been printing and how has your work evolved?


We've been printing on and off together since High School art class (6 years ago) where our teacher Mr. LaFreniere had a local screen-printer come in to teach Kyle how to screen print, and that's when we really began creating together. Our work has evolved and molded into team creations featuring both of our strengths in everything we do, it works out fantastic because what one of us lacks in, the other tends to excel at. Before when we would begin our creative processes we would almost always try to think of elaborate ideas with deep meanings embedded into them and now we try to make things that people would like to have hung in there home, it excites us every time we get another sale to know that one more household will have our artwork hung on their wall.


What inspires you?



Seeing color palettes inspire me. I love going into home depot and making a fool of myself by taking every paint sample I can get my hands on, although I'm quite sure Kyle finds it embarrassing.

How do your promote your work?


We primarily promote our work within Etsy, definitely one of the more important items on my long, ever growing, dreaded “to-do” list.

Are you working on any particular projects now?


We are currently working on making educational inexpensive large posters for children's rooms (a new obsession for me being a new mom), (examples- playfully colorful world Typography maps, numbers, & alphabets) for our other Etsy shop

We also are working on a series of artwork for Tellurex (a company that offers thermoelectric solutions) they will be featured at the Redline exhibit in the Smithsonian Gallery.  The Redline exhibit will feature more than 30 projects that reflect a growing movement among designers, engineers, and social entrepreneurs to create low-cost solutions for everyday problems both globally and locally.
 

Tell us one random fact about yourself


Kyle collects and organizes football cards.   Courtney collects and organizes paint samples.


Check out Kyle and Courtneys Etsy Shop and Second Etsy Shop

Interview with Leila Hooper Zeitler of Aurafinearts

Biography


My professional background has been in the field of antiquities and fine arts. My professional background brought me tremendous satisfaction.

My artwork gives my a similar sense of gratification.

I am mesmerized by the bright spontaneous nature of light, atmosphere, patterns and textures created in our magnificent environment.

I create etchings from my original painted images featuring flowers, wildlife and landscapes. My images are infused with multiple layers of color using eco friendly modern printmaking materials and techniques.

I live in Cambridge, Ma. with my husband. We live in a small and lively city which is in close proximity to both the mountains and the sea which we both enjoy immensely.

Why do you like to print?

I love the spontaneous nature of printmaking.

I also enjoy exploring modern eco friendly materials and techniques. There is something very rewarding about learning to successfully use materials which are gentle to our planet and to ourselves.

What is your favorite print medium and why?


I am thrilled with modern printmaking materials and the success you can achieve with them once you have mastered their quirky characteristics.

I love the eco friendly inks which are made with soybean oil instead of toxic chemicals. I love being able to cure a solar etching plate with the natural light of the sun instead of acid. I adore using recycled, repurposed and found organic objects to create works of inspiration.

What a treat to have access to mediums that reflect our recognition to conserve and protect own natural environment.

How long have you been printing and how has your work evolved?

My first recollection of printing is when I was a child and I was teaching people to ink leaves and create intriguing patterns with them. A number of years later I am still encouraging people to experiment with this wonderful option in order to explore their own creativity. It’s an irony really.

In between, the need to experiment has allowed printmaking to be a true ally for me. Learning to recreate sketches, carving woodblocks and linoleum and learning how much passion I feel for the painterly monotype and gelatin printmaking have all played a significant role in the evolution of my artwork.

What Inspires You?

Sometimes, I feel like an explorer. I will get an idea and then I will pursue different methods I can use to interpret it.

Mostly, my inspiration is directly from our natural environment. It is so rich and abundant that I never lack new ideas and challenges.

Being engaged in my artwork keeps me very focused and gives me enormous sensitivity to our surrounding environment. Color, light, textures and patterns are all a part of what I may attention to. These sensitivities afford me a freedom in the way that I interpret and see the environment around me. And thus, the way that I interpret it in my work.

How do you promote your work?


Someone once said that you are either good at doing the artwork or good at promoting the artwork, but rarely are you good at both. I believe there is a lot of truth in that.

I stay connected to the various outlets of exposure.

I will enter several juried competitions this spring and summer. I will also be in several group and gallery shows. A small group of us have formed an environmental printmaking group and we are scheduled to promote several shows over the next year. I have two etsy shops featuring my work.

Are you working on any particular projects right now?

I am always at work on one project or another and manage to feel that there are not enough hours in the day.

To get back to something I am very passionate about, I am pursuing the field of promoting eco friendly printmaking materials and techniques. A small group of us recently formed and we have put together various proposals which will lead to exhibitions in the near future.

It’s a tremendous amount of work but it’s also something that can be very rewarding.

Tell us a random fact about yourself.


The first thing that comes to mind is related to the work we’ve been discussing.

Recently my husband and I have begun to produce videos which are a combination of my artwork and his musical accompaniment. We have worked on several now and they are highly effective and have been very well received.

We are in the process of producing another one which will feature a new batch of artwork I’ve been working on over the past 4-6 months, including new wildlife and botanical images. These will be accompanied by my husband’s music. He is a professional classical guitarist.

You can take a look at the one’s we have done. They are available on my website and on Youtube.

Check out Leila's Etsy Shop and Website

Interview with Jenni Desmond

Biography


I’m 26 and a freelance artist and illustrator. I live in a blue house near the sea in the quirky city of Brighton, UK, and share a studio there with 5 other artists. I’ve just finished a Masters in Children’s Book Illustration and before that did my degree in English and Art history and taught in France for a year. When growing up I always dreamed of being an illustrator but it didn’t seem a possible career choice at the time so I put it in the back of my mind. Slowly though, I realized drawing and illustrating was something I was incredibly passionate about and I enrolled in a couple of short courses and became obsessed, working 18 hours a day until I realized it had become part of my identity and my oxygen, and so I decided to go with it. Since then I’ve had several exhibitions, love making products to sell on etsy, do lots of commissioned work and am forging a career as a children’s book illustrator and would also like to develop my work more for interior design. I still tend to ‘work’ night and day and I love every minute of it.

Why do you like to print?


Printing gets me out of my comfort zone (pen) and I love the messiness and freeness it brings. Print changes the tone and texture of a line, making the line more sophisticated and interesting, and I love the spontaneity printing can often bring to your work- you never quite know how it’s going to come out!

What is your favorite print medium and why?

Overall, I most enjoy printing techniques that give you texture, tone and room for expression, so I think for me it is etching. It keeps a spontaneity and freshness to your work because you have to draw straight onto the plate with little room for mistakes. It is also a slow and meticulous process which requires quite a lot of perfection and patience to get right. The sensation and smell of the hot wax, the acid bath that can ruin your plate in seconds, and the big press that makes you feel straight out of the middle ages I find all incredibly satisfying and fun. I really like the final outcome of an etching, the quality of the line can be beautiful, and you can get some really interesting tonal qualities, especially when adding aquatint.

How long have you been printing and how has your work evolved?

I’ve only been printing for about 3 years so I’m very new to it and am discovering new techniques and methods all the time. I’ve started doing a lot of monoprint recently, and love printing onto textile. I am interested in creating work that doubles as being functional, and not solely decorative.

What inspires you?

A big one is music- I always listen to music when I work and what I listen to depends on the mood I am trying to create in my work. I am also inspired by pattern in nature, interior design, psychology, stories, and find that some of my best ideas come when I’m cycling or running outside. I think it is also very important to constantly come out of your comfort zone and see and experience lots of new things.

How do your promote your work?

Blog, facebook, twitter, word of mouth, exhibitions, magazines, emails…

Are you working on any particular projects now?

We are having an open studio in Brighton next month (note - this interview was published after Jenni's open studio) so I’m getting work ready for that at the moment and I am working on book illustration. I am also developing lots of ideas at the moment for some new exciting printed products to sell in my shop over the next few months…watch this space!

Tell us one random fact about yourself

I have a mole wedged between my toes which is called ‘the rabbit poo’ - unfortunately it does looks like that.

Check out Jenni's Etsy Site and Blog

Interview with Anne van Oppen of Annevo5

Biography

I was born and raised in Southern California. After twenty plus years of living, working and playing in other parts of the country I moved back and met my husband. We live on the Palos Verdes Peninsula in Los Angeles County. My working years were spent in the apparel industry. Skiwear in Vermont and surfwear in Hawaii. I was an apparel and surface designer often using relief prints to achieve a desired effect or application.

Why Printmaking?

I love printmaking for many reasons but primarily because of the multiples. I do not find it as difficult to part with a piece when there are more in hand.

What Is Your Favorite Medium and Why?

Currently my favorite print medium is Galvanic Etching on copper. I recently set up a studio at home and resolved to keep it as non-toxic as possible. The journey has been frustrating and the disappointments abundant but well worth the trip. I am developing my process and gaining control of the effects I want to achieve. The discovery and successes are very exciting!

How Has Your Work Evolved?

I have been printing for many years, off and on, and seriously for the past ten years. My work has evolved into simpler images with interesting texture. I am interested in expressing a feeling along with the image and not saying too much. I want the viewer to participate and formulate their own feelings related to the piece.

What Inspires You?

I am inspired by the nature around me. I try to sketch regularly and many pieces are developed from there. I love gardening and spend a lot of time outside among my plants. Insects and their ways entrance me, so they are often subjects as is my funny and charming cat Big Guy.

How Do You Promote Your Work?

I am a member of several local artist groups and I enter the local shows. As much as I would like to sell more work, I do not enjoy the running around to accomplish this. I admire other artists that have the energy. I love Esty and Printsy and I hope they will help get me out there!

Any Special Projects You are Working On?

Yes, as I mentioned I am exploring Galvanic Etching and I am working on a series of ten or so prints that express my achievements in this process. They are all 7 1/2 x 7 1/4" with varying sized plates, 2 x 3" or so and a chine' colle frame or background. Once printed, I hand color areas of the piece with watercolor. The first three are on Printsy.

Tell Us One Random Fact About Yourself

A random thing about me is that I am a very good sailor.

Check out Anne's Etsy site and The Los Angeles Printmakers Link

Interview with Paul Roden and Valerie Lueth of Tugboat Printshop

Biography


Valerie grew up in South Dakota, and Paul grew up in Nashville, Tennessee. We met at the University of South Dakota, and have been together since 2002. After graduating with printmaking degrees in 2004, we eventually settled in Pittsburgh in 2006, and have been working collaboratively in woodblock for the majority of the time since about 2007.


Why do you like to print?


We like to craft intricate images by hand, working for several days or weeks on a single piece. We like to think of the prints we make as being 'conceived in multiple'--that is, thought of as being in front of a large audience from their conception. Printmaking allows us to spend many hours making complex, multi-block drawings and have an end product that is affordable, original, and completely handmade artwork. We want to be able to take what we do directly to the public at affordable rates. Working in print allows us to do what we love and be able to make a living on it as well.

What is your favorite print medium and why?


We are currently very fond of working in woodcut. We like the raw, natural state of the medium and the act of drawing and carving on the wooden block feels real. The blocks seem precious but are very strong and durable. Carving into linoleum or MDF just doesn't feel the same or yield the same end result--wood also provides for much greater detail, especially over a large edition. We are fans of the crisp, bold lines of woodblock printing and appreciate the subtlety of each block's differences. We feel a strong connection to printmaking's roots in woodcut (and as a medium by which to give images and text to the people) and are excited to be contributors to its lengthy tradition.


How long have you been printing and how has your work evolved?



We have been printing together as Tugboat Printshop since 2007, but each have more than 13 years of experience as printmakers & artists. Valerie worked primarily in etching before our collaboration in woodblock printing began. Paul has been working almost exclusively in woodcut. We have both explored and are proficient in many print mediums but have been working in woodcut since 2007.

What inspires you?


The natural world, history, science, thinking about the future are the broad umbrellas that we generally work under. We are facinated by the history of mankind, especially as relates to the history of the natural world.

How do your promote your work?


We have done a lot of travelling over the past 3 years to indie craft fairs, city fairs, gallery shows, etc. and promoting our work in person is by far our favorite. Nothing beats a customer being able to see the prints in person and have their questions answered by the artist(s) that made the work. We have a website, etsy store, facebook, blog, flickr, etc. and upload new prints and progress shots frequently to keep folks interested in looking & checking back. We also send out a monthly e-newsletter that features new prints and any upcoming events or press we feel might be of interest to our audience. (You can join by visiting our website!) We're constantly evolving and trying new ways to bring what we do to the public. We are very ambitious about almost any project we tackle or are asked to contribute to.

Are you working on any particular projects now?


Sure! We have a number of blocks in progress…many more will be a part of our LIFE OF LEISURE Series. Others are in a different vein…


We are very eager to tackle some larger and more colorful artwork

Tell us one random fact about yourself

We have pretty developed sweet-tooths and love to read our horoscopes.


Check out Tugboat's Etsy Site and Website