Process

Coming soon. How I make my original multi-coloured prints and inspiration

My main body of work is created by a process called reduction cut relief printmaking. Working from my photographs of the west coast I sketch an outline onto my carving pad and typically choose a colour palette of 5 to 8 colours. I roll ink onto the pad and press it onto the paper without a printing press. Once the first layer is inked and 10 prints are made, I wash the block off and carve away that colour. That first colour is complete and I am ready to ink the next layer. I continuously ink, press to paper, and carve off each colour until I finish the piece. As a result, the carving pad is destroyed, creating a limited number of original hand pressed prints. This process forces the artist to commit to the process from start to finish and cannot be corrected along the way. The layering of the ink also brings a depth and additional textural quality to the work unlike other forms of printmaking.