New work! Magpie reduction linocut

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