BLOCK PRINTING Memories

Blockprints, Linocuts - I remember spending hours as a child in my grandparents studio making these. First we would draw our designs on flat pieces of linoleum that had been painted with white caseine paint. Then we would put them in the stove to soften the tops for carving. I can still recall the wonderful linseed oil smell that would drift its way out of the stove as they "cooked". When they were warmed up and pliable we'd take them out and get to carving our little masterpieces. Of course they were no where near the perfection of granny and grandpa's creations yet we were always so proud of our designs. What I like about this craft is the wonderful organic look it has - all the little uncarved spots show up in the print and give it texture and character.

I was fortunate to do a trade on etsy a few weeks ago with Darby Bayly ( CraftyRedFox ) for one of her charming little owl block prints that I love! I was torn between that and the fish print (right) which i think is equally COOL!

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Natalia Moroz takes the linocut one step further in her colorful and complex linocut reductions, seen here, her work is "...done in the reduction technique. It's a printmaking method when a multicolored print is made with the use of a single block. Through a series of progressive cuttings, inkings, and printings, the image slowly emerges while the actual block is destroyed. A reduction print can therefore never be reprinted.

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