This Saturday, my printmaking group is working with UT's Printmaking section of their Art Department as part of Explore UT. I told Terri, my instructor, that I'd go take pictures of the event. I went last year and got completely worn out (not a hard thing since I'm pretty out of shape) but it was really fun. At any rate, people make these huge wood blocks, lay them on the ground after they have been inked and then print them with a steamroller. The blocks are fairly large -- mine was about 2' x 4' but some are much larger.

Explore UT is part of the community outreach that UT does every year. It's tremendous fun for anyone but especially for the kids. Part of the Art Department's events is Steamroller Madness where students do these prints and they always invite some of the other colleges to participate. Last year our four printmaking classes from Austin Community College as well as Texas State University from San Marcos showed up. It was a huge affair! Hopefully I will post more photos next week.

printmaking

I've been taking photos of my art work and slowing arranging them onto this blog. Since I'm pretty clueless how to do it expect to see things come and go. (Much like a dance when people bob and weave.)

I started working with printmaking about a year and a half ago - having always wanted to learn. I really was fearful of doing an etching - you know - acid, copper and those dreadful chemicals that could potentially ruin something. But the local Community College had a printmaking course and in a moment of trying to free myself of being stuck in the inertia of artist's block, I signed up for it. Even if I didn't like the processes I would at least have to think creatively and get out of my dark pit of non-art I had put myself in.

The course was an introduction to three types of printmaking processes - wood block, etching or itaglio and lithography. I liked wood block, loved intaglio and had a grim struggle at lithography (which I have to go back and finish one day). So I am staying with it to the point that my boyfriend bought me a little press for small prints so I can work on stuff out of class. (How many times can you take a class just to use the equipment?)

At any rate, it's been a rare experience for me to learn, plus it's allowed me to meet some really great people.