On the public art project: workshop 3

The above photo was given to us by Wilma Kahler Smith, who was born in Chadwick, Illinois, in 1930. It shows her and three of her siblings playing near their house. Look at that Ford jalopy in the background. One of the phrases Wilma wrote for this photo was: "Our house was owned by Mrs. Alexander, who kept furniture in an upstairs bedroom." And another: "The barn out back housed a horse and buggy at one time." It's phrases like these that Patty and I are aiming to coax out of people at these workshops; I think the participants themselves are surprised by the things that they remember through this process.

When we have at least 50 photos and accompanying sentences to choose from, Patty and I will select the ones that look best when presented side by side. Then I will transfer them to the light panels/light boxes. It should look great.

Here is a link to the Facebook page photo album for this workshop:

Facebook Photo Album: Community Memoir Workshop 3

The link to the Facebook page is in the right-hand column of this blog.

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Restoring my Printing Press

I've just finished restoring and assembling my large etching press -- a six week process involving lots of rust removal, scrubbing with steel wool, and repainting. Here is a photo of the same kind of press from the Chicago Printmakers Collaborative: And here is a short YouTube video of me testing the press, making sure the motor still works after nearly seven years of lying in storage:

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Brancusi in Plastic

Artist Mary Ellen Croteau is showing these columns made from recycled plastic cartons and lids in the window of the Columbia College bookstore on Michigan Avenue. They are a playful homage to Brancusi's "Endless Columns", with a serious environmental message for our times: Image copyright Inhabitat.com and Mary Ellen Croteau Mary Ellen also runs a wonderful experimental art gallery in a window space in west Chicago, called Art on Armitage . I will be exhibiting a mixed media piece there during August 2012.

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How to etch a linoleum block

Linoleum as a material for printmaking has been used for nearly a hundred years now. Normally, you cut an image out using special gouges similar to woodcut tools, cutting away the lino around the image you want to print. This is called relief printmaking, because if you look at the block from the side, the material that remains stands up in relief from the backing material. You then roll ink with a brayer over the surface of the block, place paper over it, and either print by hand or run it through a press. You can do complex things this way (for example, reduction linocuts), but the beauty of the process is that it is quick, simple, and direct. Incised lino block, from me.redith.com Etched lino block, from Steve Edwards A few years ago, I saw some prints that were classified as coming from etched linoleum blocks, and I loved the textures I saw in them. In the last few months, I've been trying to use this technique in my own studio, learning about it as one does these d

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