Printmaking

I've explored various forms of lithography since college. The flora-wrapped Tarot reader ('Intuition') and red moth ('Atlas') in the slideshow are Pronto plate lithos – a lighter, more accessible alternative to traditional limestone blocks.

The other prints are Stone lithographs, each drawn on heavy limestone, printed, and then erased to prepare for the next piece. I used image transfers, grease washes, and pencils to create high-contrast compositions. The process is delicate – even breathing on the stone can leave unwanted marks. After drawing, the stone goes through several chemical treatments with gum arabic, citric acid, and tree resins. Rolling on the first layer of ink reveals weeks of work.

The printing itself requires precise pressure, with the stone rolled through a press after careful layering of paper, plexiglass, and grease. Each print might be repeated hundreds of times, depending on the techniques used.

A reductive linocut is a fascinating dance with permanence, where you're essentially destroying your art to create it. You start with a single linoleum block and carve away layers for each color, printing between each carving session. The trick is, once you carve away material for one color, it's gone forever – you can't go back and add more of that color later.

This locomotive piece showcases what the technique can achieve. The deep blues of the background set off against rusty reds and stark whites create this dramatic, almost confrontational portrait of a steam engine. I carved out each layer to build up the mechanical details – the circular headlight, the intricate grille work, all these elements that make the engine feel almost alive, staring right at you. The strong contrasts between light and dark areas are a natural result of the reductive process, where each carved-away layer reveals the colors beneath.

It's like sculpting in reverse and in time – you're planning your image from lightest to darkest, each carving removing possibilities for the next stage. The magic (and terror) lies in committing to each cut, knowing it will affect every print in your edition. The process demands both careful planning and an embrace of the unexpected, much like other printmaking techniques.