The Process

I work with artist grade linoleum, a product made from linseed oil, cork and wood

flour. I use a variety of razor-sharp gouges, knives and odd tools to carve the negative spaces away in the composition. I print with a Conrad printing press, the back of a spoon and a glass baren called a frog. I use Cranfield oil based inks.

A relief print is made from the positive images left after carving. The block of lino/wood is inked or painted and impressed onto paper or material. A multicolored print may be achieved with the addition of two or more blocks, each one having a different image to hold a separate color.

Reduction printing

This method is a way of making a multicolored print using only one block.

Finished print

Starting with the lightest color, each sheet of an addition will be printed with this color before that section is then carved away. The next darkest color is then printed in the same way and the block is then “reduced” as that color is then carved away. Continuing in this way until the last color, usually the darkest is printed. The block is then rendered useless and discarded.

Finished block

A word about numbering and editions

A numbered edition is a series of prints that are similar to each other. There is always some variation that happens but that just makes every print unique. I run small editions of reduction prints because of the labor involved, usually 25 or less .A print documentation certificate comes with each print.