This past year I've been really trying to hone my skills with doing reduction linocut on my printing presses. It can be really frustrating at times once you are halfway into a project.
I've learned that taking the time at the outset to draft a roadmap of where I want the piece to go has been super helpful. Honestly, there are times where I rely very heavily on my rough colour notes to move the work forward.
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In my neighbourhood, there is always someone on duty, these guys. It doesn't matter the time of day or temperature... if there is someone you are guaranteed to run across it's the magpies. With this print, "Neighbourhood Watch", I really took some risks with the juxtaposition of blue and orange and it paid off in the end (with some nail biting around layer 5, haha!). I am pleased with how it all came together.
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/p20/Neighbourhood-watch.html Just a reminder if you needed one today. Letterpress printed for some deeply loved people in my life. (For those of you who have the means of production, a reminder that we can use these tools to promote love. Let's try our best right now.)
It is no secret that a) I love postcards and b) I love a worthy cause! I find these two things can comfortably co-exist. I have a variety of sets listed in my shop, some of which will have proceeds benefiting related causes (those ones were created for a specific cause and have already been hard at work raising funds specified in the listing). Some of these sets are just fun to create!
You can also find a HUGE variety of postcard singles at the Leighton Centre in Calgary and Route 22 Gallery in Cochrane. Find them here: http://www.michellewiebe.com/shop.html 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 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 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. 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.
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