 I was looking through my inventory and realized that I never posted this piece from 2024 even though it has been for sale at Leighton Centre, Route 22 Gallery as well as part of the Alberta Printmakers Lasting Impressions member's show!
I've been exploring the complexities of reduction linocut, a printmaking process that uses only one block to print many layers. The artist starts with a barely carved block and prints a layer of colour, then carves away more of the block and prints the next colour. This process is repeated until all the layers of colour are printed, leaving very little of the original block behind. Since the layers are permanently removed from the printing block, the edition of prints is limited to the original printing session. If an error occurs, there is a chance that part or all of the work could be ruined. This piece has 3 layers of colour, each layer taking several hours to print all the individual pieces within the edition. I have printed this work using antique printing equipment, which is a highly specialized artform that requires mechanical and artistic skill. This allowed me to be quite precise in lining up the many layers the application of ink was consistent. As a result, the colours are rich and highly pigmented, almost painterly in quality. You can find it in my online shop here: http://www.michellewiebe.com/store/p11/gears-reduction.html
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 Intro to Letterpress at Alberta Printmakers
1 Day Workshop March 30th, 2025 10:00am – 4:00pm Are you fascinated with wood type or antique machines? Do you dream of printing your own greeting cards or posters? Join me at Alberta Printmakers at the end of March so that I can get you started on this exciting journey. We chat about tools, history and resources then get busy printing a couple of fun projects so that you can understand the mechanics of the various presses available at the A/P Studios. Since the class size is small, these spots tend to sell out quickly - so sign up right away! Check out the details here.  I am so excited that this piece was chosen to be a part of the 23rd Juried Members Exhibition at the Leighton Art Centre. The show runs from February 1st - April 6th, 2025.
In early winter I started work on this piece, the subject is one that frequents my back yard and always makes me laugh with their acrobatic, upside down moves. I've been exploring the complexities of reduction linocut, a printmaking process that uses only one block to print many layers. The artist starts with a barely carved block and prints a layer of colour, then carves away more of the block and prints the next colour. This process is repeated until all the layers of colour are printed, leaving very little of the original block behind. Since the layers are permanently removed from the printing block, the edition of prints is limited to the original printing session. If an error occurs, there is a chance that part or all of the work could be ruined. This piece has more than 7 layers of colour, each layer taking several hours to print all the individual pieces within the edition. I have printed this work using antique industrial printing presses, also known as “Letterpress Printing” which is a highly specialized artform that requires mechanical and artistic skill. This allowed me to be quite precise in lining up the many layers the application of ink was consistent. As a result, the colours are rich and highly pigmented, almost painterly in quality. You can find it here in my online shop: http://www.michellewiebe.com/store/p10/Topsy-Turvy.html  In late autumn early winter I started work on this piece, the subject is one that frequents my back yard and always astonishes me with how invisibly visible they are with their bright red markings.
I've been exploring the complexities of reduction linocut, a printmaking process that uses only one block to print many layers. The artist starts with a barely carved block and prints a layer of colour, then carves away more of the block and prints the next colour. This process is repeated until all the layers of colour are printed, leaving very little of the original block behind. Since the layers are permanently removed from the printing block, the edition of prints is limited to the original printing session. If an error occurs, there is a chance that part or all of the work could be ruined. This piece has more than 7 layers of colour, each layer taking several hours to print all the individual pieces within the edition. I have printed this work using antique industrial printing presses, also known as “Letterpress Printing” which is a highly specialized artform that requires mechanical and artistic skill. This allowed me to be quite precise in lining up the many layers the application of ink was consistent. As a result, the colours are rich and highly pigmented, almost painterly in quality. You can find it here in my online shop: http://www.michellewiebe.com/store/p9/In-Hiding.html  The three hand printed letterpress postcard designs that will be given away during the NDTR event. It's been great working with the teams at Route 22 Gallery and Wazin Îchinabi Ti to plan out a day that looks to honour Indigenous culture, survivors of Residential Schools and ask the question to both settlers and Indigenous folks, "What does Reconciliation mean to you?".
I will be there with my trusty Kelsey printing press to demo printing a special message on these keepsake postcards. Making these was a labour of love from an idea I had last September (but it was too close to NDTR to execute with justice!) and having some collaborative conversations with my friends and colleagues at Route 22 and Wazin built the foundation for this full day of which I am humbled to be a small part of. There will be so many teachings and ways to learn - I hope you will join us. I ESPECIALLY hope you will join us if you want to mark NDTR but have been unsure of how to do so. Settlers, newcomers, Indigenous folks - ALL ARE WELCOME. It has been an absolute pleasure to not only work with Route 22 and Wazin, but to have this event bubble up organically to include The Town of Cochrane, Cochrane Public Library, The Otipemisiwak Government, and Alberta Culture Days! The Station, 360 Railway St. W Cochrane, AB September 30th, 2024 12:00pm – 6:30pm Learn more here.  Sublimation, Mixed Media on Cradled Panel, 2021, Michelle Wiebe I've recently received the very happy news that this painting, Sublimation, was chosen by the Art Acquisition team for the permanent collection at the Alberta Foundation for the Arts. I am pleased and humbled to see this piece chosen - I've been recently reconnecting with this series, The System, as I start making material explorations for a new body of work that continues from this theme.
 This summer I had the incredible opportunity to attend a 120 hour (13 day) intensive for poster design and letterpress printing, the Typographic Printing Program in Näfels, Switzerland. Hosted by Dafi Kühne, we explored the gamut of what goes into text based posters.
We cast type on a Ludlow, learned about kerning, fussed over type-setting, studied type theory, did hundreds of iterative drawings, made printing forms, operated presses and had a series of lectures from Swiss designers that work in related fields. There was even more to learn in there - I am still wrapping my head around everything we covered. It was amazing and I am profoundly grateful that this program exists - there is nothing comparable to it anywhere near where I live. The skills we learned are slowly dying out and this class gave me the chance to try things that will move me forward in my art creation.  Are you here because of a postcard? Welcome! If you have one of these postcards, please consider posting it on a bulletin board, in a window, your car or something like that where trans folks can see it.
Recently, the Alberta government proposed sweeping changes on how transgender kids are able to access health care and express themselves. These changes will endanger lives. Supporting or being passive about these changes will contribute to so many risky outcomes for these kids. In order to channel my frustrations in a constructive way, I have spent hours in my garage treadling away on a vintage printing press to make these. We (myself and some folks in the community) are printing more. These words are important and they need to get out there. . I'm making a personal donation to the Skipping Stone legal fund. I want to make it bigger. If you picked up one of these and want to help, please just give directly to the fund. You could also drop a donation to other great Calgary organizations; Skipping Stone, The Alex, Centre for Sexuality and Trans Lifeline are all excellent choices. If you are a business owner or someone who has some trans folk in your orbit (teacher, nurse, small business or non-profit) - perhaps you need one/some of these. Fill out the contact form and drop me a line. At the end of the day I tried my hardest to make these fun and bursting with love. A way for me to say across space and time to trans kids "I choo-choo choose you!" (Just the way you are) Many thanks to the organizations and businesses who said yes to having these available - Alberta Printmakers, Esker Foundation, Inglewood Art Supplies, The Naked Leaf, Rick Rack Textiles, Stash and Found Bookshop (and for all the private purchases - you know who you are!)  I need to get better at taking selfies - this was snapped this morning as I ran along the Bow River Today is an important milestone for me – three years ago today was the beginning of a different life. That was the day I went to run at the track and ended up at the Emergency room from having a seizure and diagnosis of a large brain tumour. I crossed a threshold that day into a journey of healing and accepting that my life would never return to what it was before. Thinking about that this morning, as I ran along the river, my feet crunching on fresh snow, I’m okay with where I am now - joy has returned to my life.  Simulacrum, Mixed Media on Cradled Panel 12" x 16" 2020 Michelle Wiebe While this year has been different and difficult at times (and honestly, I'm so tired of Covid-19 related topics, I'm only going to acknowledge it in passing), it was also a year of regaining lost ground. I made a lot of art and I’m pleased about the direction that is heading. I had so many classes cancelled or postponed, but I also discovered I have a knack for teaching online. Reaching new audiences and experimenting with class formats on Zoom has been such a treat. While I wasn’t able to work the season at Heritage Park, it allowed me to connect with Alberta Printmakers at a whole new level. All this being said, I am really looking forward to 2021 and hopefully a return to routine. I am delighted to announce that I will have a solo show at the end of January at the Leighton Centre Tower Gallery. Check this out for more information. I hope you are able to take it in once the Covid-19 restrictions are lifted! Thank you to everyone who took the time to encourage me in my artistic journey this year - your words made a lot of this possible.  Machinations, Mixed Media on Cradled Panel, 16" x 20" 2020 Michelle Wiebe  Vernacular 12" x 18" Ink on Paper 2020 Michelle Wiebe With the new directions my work has been taking lately mixed in with headlines talking about equality, I have been learning new things about my art and myself. There has been a close examination of these issues through the lens of being a woman, from having Indigenous heritage, from having interests that are predominantly male centric, from having chronic illness, and from a lack of institutional qualifications. A lot of who I am is just how I was born; I did not have the option to pick and choose my traits or much of my situation. For a long time, I have regretted that I rarely fit neatly into institutions and established systems - my interests or background do not always dovetail nicely with the existing framework. With the exception of people on the inside with generous hearts taking me at face value and extending a hand of invitation, I find a lot of what I am interested in has been subject to knowledge gatekeepers or old fashioned notions of “it’s always been done this way” without the possibility of exploring the options.  Dialect 12" x 18" Ink on Paper 2020 Michelle Wiebe Recently, I have been thinking about how I contribute even if I do not often have a set place at the table, the table being a metaphor for the way the art world has typically run. Slowly it has been dawning on me that my job with my art and as an instructor has been increasingly about building a new table. It is not refined table, just something makeshift. Like someone in their first apartment, the substance on this table can be meagre at times too – I have limits on what I can offer. The beauty of constructing it though is that everyone is welcome. Personally, I am often far more interested in who has never been to the table and why they want to be there. Yes, pull up a chair, you are welcome at this table. Another thing I like about this table, is while I might make a space for it, or put the bare framework together, I do not own it. This table can grow and shift as more people come to it and contribute their thoughts and ideas. A table like this lends itself to a potluck approach, the viewer or the student brings something as well and it adds more choice delicacies to sample. I recognize that there are other new tables being built – some of these might suit some tastes or dietary needs better. This is good. There is also the possibility of extending or joining tables down the road, should there be more space required.  Jargon 12" x 18" Ink on Paper 2020 Michelle Wiebe With my latest work, a lot of it explores this sense of having no place to properly belong; severed ties missed connections and the feeling of being set adrift through policies and predominant attitudes. I know that I am not alone in this, so it felt like time to share where I am at with the hopes of others being encouraged to speak up about their journey. With teaching, there is a reason why I love introduction or basic skills-oriented sessions. The act of empowering someone to finally express their creative thoughts and discover their potential puts wind in my sails like very few things on this earth. Now though, my focus has been putting together a little table, set with my artwork, my classes and most importantly, my time. Please come and have a seat if you want or if the other tables do not have room for you – I am happy to see you here. * A note about the artwork, This is what I've been loosely calling my Protest Poster series (this series is unfinished as I don't have access to the studio at Alberta Printmakers to use the Vandercook press due to COVID-19.) These are exploring ideas of lost culture and language. Broken letterforms (by using P22 Blox, a fragmented typeface) and signifiers (the bandolier blocks) that don't have the full scope of meaning and are layered and printed to create a picture of chaos and scattered thoughts. These are printed on Domtar Cougar 130lb paper in white and are limited editions of ten.  Babble 12" x 18" Ink on Paper 2020 Michelle Wiebe |
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